Donato Ferdori, a 56-year-old history and philosophy teacher at Anco Marzio high school in Ostia, is being held at Givon prison in Ramla, Israel, after his arrest in the West Bank on October 29. He was detained in the village of al-Lubban al-Gharbi, northwest of Ramallah.
Ferdori had been in the West Bank since September 25, taking part in initiatives organized by the International Solidarity Movement to support local farmers during the olive harvest. According to a statement from the organization, he was arrested alongside 13 other activists from Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Ireland and Sweden.
The other activists have reportedly either been placed on deportation flights or are awaiting departure. Ferdori, who was born in Bologna and teaches in Rome, remains in Israeli custody after refusing deportation.
The International Solidarity Movement also described the treatment of the detained activists, saying that those identified as men were handcuffed and shackled at the ankles. Some were allegedly restrained in pairs, forced to strip down to their underwear and held in a high-security cell before being transferred.
The news has prompted expressions of support from Ostia. Ostia Antifascista called for Ferdori’s immediate release and said his family and the local community were facing the situation with concern. The group also urged the Italian government to take concrete action on his behalf.
The Anco Marzio Alien Collective said students at the school and across the area had expressed “absolute solidarity” with their teacher. The group praised his activism and his efforts to draw attention to the Palestinian cause, saying it considered it unacceptable to remain silent in the face of what it described as an ongoing injustice.
Sources: La Repubblica.