JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say it has briefly detained several activists from a group of former soldiers critical of the country’s policies toward Palestinians.
It said they were detained and questioned Friday after entering a closed military zone. It said an investigation was opened and they will be questioned further. Israeli media said they were held for about three hours.
The activists were leaders of Breaking the Silence, a group of ex-Israeli combat soldiers turned whistleblowers who view Israel’s occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state as an existential threat to their country.
Israeli critics view it as a foreign-funded group seeking to shame the country by targeting its most hallowed institution, the military, with testimonies relayed to a foreign audience rather than debated domestically.