An activist on a boat that broke Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip was arrested upon his return to Israel.
Jeff Halper, an Israeli, was arrested Tuesday after crossing into Israel through the Erez border crossing. He will be charged with violating an army order prohibiting Israelis from entering Palestinian areas without permission, police told the Jerusalem Post.
Halper thought he had permission from Israel’s foreign and interior ministries, since they had given the boats permission to land in Gaza, Free Gaza Movement spokeswoman Angela Godfrey-Goldstein told the newspaper.
Halper was on one of two boats full of mostly Western activists that landed Aug. 23 in Gaza to draw attention to the Gaza blockade.
