In May 2019, Rabbi David Mivasair, a Canadian citizen from Hamilton, Ontario, was detained by Israeli military forces in the South Hebron Hills region of the West Bank while participating in a road maintenance activity organized by the Centre for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV). The activity involved filling potholes and repairing sections of a dirt road used for access to Palestinian villages in the area.
According to reporting by CBC News and statements attributed to Mivasair, Israeli military personnel arrived at the site, declared the area a closed military zone, and ordered participants to leave within a limited timeframe. Mivasair stated that he and other participants were detained during the enforcement action, which also involved Palestinian residents and journalists present at the location.
Mivasair reported that he was handcuffed during the detention and that his phone was confiscated. He also stated that he was charged with being present in a closed military zone and was later released with conditions. The detention occurred during a multi-day delegation involving international participants and local residents engaged in infrastructure-related work in the area.
The South Hebron Hills region is located in Area C of the West Bank, an area under Israeli military and administrative control under the Oslo Accords framework. Organizations involved in the activity described road maintenance efforts as intended to improve access for isolated Palestinian communities.
