The Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry revealed on Wednesday that the Global Sumud Flotilla, the organization behind the Gaza-bound flotilla in which Greta Thunberg participated, had been recruiting volunteers for activities in the West Bank.
The organization has called for volunteers to join a program providing accompaniment and maintaining a presence alongside Palestinian communities ahead of the upcoming olive harvest.
The findings were uncovered as part of the ministry’s efforts to identify and track foreign activists planning to enter Israel and the West Bank as part of organized international campaigns.
According to information collected by the ministry’s National Command Center, the organization is currently recruiting international activists for a program that includes a stay of at least two weeks, training in “direct action,” political and media training, and a commitment to continued political activity in their home countries after returning.
As presented by the organization, the program aims to go beyond maintaining a temporary presence on the ground. It seeks to turn participants into “catalysts” for further political organizing and activism in their home countries, as part of what the organization itself describes as “the broader confrontation with Zionism as a political project.”
According to assessments, the program could help develop a long-term international network of activists, although the organization does not explicitly state this as an objective.
The registration page describes the initiative as being led by Palestinian organizers. According to a post on the organization’s X/Twitter account, the application deadline was October 7, 2026.
International activists recruited ahead of olive harvest
The program joins several other campaigns identified as recruiting international activists to the West Bank ahead of the 2026 olive harvest season, including Go Palestine, Protect the Harvest, Faz3a, and the International Solidarity Movement. These organizations also describe their activities as providing a “protective presence” alongside Palestinian communities.
The experiences, training, and connections developed on the ground are intended to support continued political organizing in participants’ home countries and contribute, in the words of the registration page, to “the broader confrontation with Zionism as a political project.”
According to the registration page, Palestinian organizers and communities determine where volunteers will be deployed, which activities will take place, and when they will be carried out. Participants are required to follow these instructions, even in cases where they would have chosen to act differently.
Before beginning their accompaniment activities, participants are expected to undergo “training in nonviolence and direct action.” The organization seeks to extend the program’s influence beyond the volunteers’ activities in the West Bank.
Applicants who have difficulty financing their travel are encouraged to indicate this, and many participants raise donations to fund their stays.
The registration page also addresses the possibility of being denied entry to Israel. Using the organization’s terminology, it states that entry is controlled by the “Israeli occupation authorities” and that an applicant’s chances of being admitted may be affected by their passport, name, travel history, family background, and publicly expressed political activity.
Applicants who are unable to enter through Israel may be referred to other activities.
Diaspora Affairs Ministry warns foreign activists
Avi Cohen-Scali, director-general of the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, said, “The State of Israel will not serve as a playground for foreign anarchists. Anyone seeking to come here as part of an organized network whose purpose is to create provocations, disrupt public order, and act against the State of Israel should know that Israel identifies them, locates them, and will take action against them using all the legal tools at its disposal.”
“The activity does not begin at Israel’s entry points, nor does it end there. The ministry is working to map the activists, organizations, and infrastructure involved in these campaigns, transfer the information to the relevant authorities, and advance appropriate measures both inside and outside Israel, in accordance with the law and in cooperation with the relevant bodies,” he added.
“We will act against the activists and the infrastructure behind them, both in Israel and abroad. The message is clear and unequivocal: Anyone who acts in an organized manner to undermine public order and harm the State of Israel and its legitimacy will encounter a state that is prepared, determined, and active, both at home and abroad.”
