Greta Thunberg says she was ‘kidnapped' in international waters after Israeli deported her and fellow activists
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Greta Thunberg on Tuesday accused Israel of kidnapping her and her fellow pro-Palestinian activists in international waters, saying she declined to sign a document stating she entered the country illegally prior to being deported.
Speaking in the arrivals section of Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport after being deported from Israel, the Swedish activist said she and her team had broken no laws, and called for the immediate release of the activists still in Israel.
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The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
70-year-old Irish woman deported from Israel after being denied legal representation in court
AN IRISH WOMAN has been deported from Israel this afternoon, ten days after she was arrested by Israeli forces for 'entering an active military zone' in the West Bank. 70-year-old great-grandmother Máire Ní Mhurchú, originally from Douglas, Co Cork, was detained by Israeli forces in the village of Khallet al-Dabaa in the Masafer Yatta region of southern West Bank on 1 June. Murphy was arrested shortly after Israeli forces declared the village a 'closed military zone.' According to Palestinian sources, residents and international solidarity activists were forcibly removed from the area. The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led organisation that supports nonviolent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza, said Murphy had been complying with Israeli orders to leave when she was harassed by Israeli settlers. Murphy was initially held at Ben Gurion Airport, before being transferred to Givon Prison in Ramla on Tuesday. She appeared before court in Israel this week to appeal the deportation order given to her by Israeli authorities – though the ISM claim she was denied legal representation and was unable to contact her lawyer , despite her requests for them and multiple attempts by her lawyer to get in touch through the prison service. Murphy was deported to the UK this afternoon. Advertisement Her son, Dale Ryan, said that her family 'are all very relieved' to have her home. 'The past 10 days have been intense and we have had to trust that the Israeli authorities would treat my mother fairly and ensure her basic needs were met,' Ryan said. 'From their treatment of the Palestinians over the past several decades, this was not something we had the most confidence in. He added that his mother wanted to remain in the West Bank 'helping them in any way she could', but conceded that Murphy 'would have been pleased that her situation helped to draw some more eyes to the appalling treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank'. 'I know after a day's rest my mother will be back gathering support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the fair treatment of all Palestinians, after me and all her family give her a massive hug.' According to the ISM, Israeli forces are now demolishing the houses and water systems left in Khalet Al-Dabaa, together with makeshift tents. 'These communities face an ongoing and escalating campaign of ethnic cleansing and forcible displacement being carried out by Israeli settlers with the full support of the Israeli state,' an ISM spokesperson said. They added that they were disappointed in the 'shy response' from both the Irish and British governments. 'Murphy's case has served to remind us that the international community not only has an obligation to stop trade and relationships with Israel, but also to take decisive steps to bring the genocide and occupation of Palestine to an end,' the spokesperson added. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Two Gaza aid activists held in solitary confinement by Israel
The NGO representing most of the activists detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat that was intercepted by Israeli forces said that two of the campaigners had been placed in solitary confinement in Israel. "Israeli authorities transferred two of the volunteers - the Brazilian volunteer Thiago Avila and the French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan - to separate prison facilities, away from the others, and placed them in solitary confinement," Israeli human rights group Adalah said in a statement. When asked for comment, Israel's prison authority referred AFP to the foreign ministry, which claimed it was checking the reports. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement on Instagram that Mr Avila is "on his third day of hunger and water strike denouncing Israel's impunity". The group, who organised the boat's attempt to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, said Adalah's lawyer informed them that Israeli authorities have threatened to put Mr Avila in a "dark, small and breathless and contactless cell" for seven days. It also accused Israel of holding the activists as hostages. Activists 'capitalising' on conflict for attention - France PM Meanwhile, France's Prime Minister François Bayrou accused the French activists of capitalising on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political attention. Ms Hassan is an MEP from the France Unbowed (LFI) party and is among four French activists still detained in Israel. Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen and its 12 crew members in international waters off the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday. Another four, who are not French, were also taken into custody. The remaining four, including two French citizens and Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, agreed to be deported immediately after being banned from Israel for 100 years. LFI leader in parliament Mathilde Panot accused the prime minister of failing to condemn Israel's actions. "These activists obtained the effect they wanted, but it's a form of instrumentalisation to which we should not lend ourselves," Mr Bayrou responded in the National Assembly. It's "through diplomatic action, and efforts to bring together several states to pressure the Israeli government, that we can obtain the only possible solution" to the conflict, he added. France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a UN meeting later this month in New York on steps towards recognising a Palestinian state and reaching a so-called two-state solution to the conflict. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told parliament the priority in Gaza should be "an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, as well as immediate, unimpeded and massive humanitarian aid access to abridge the suffering of civilian populations". "In no way whatsoever do the gesticulations of Ms Rima Hassan, her instrumentalisation of the suffering of Gazans, help to achieve these goals," he added. He said the French consul had visited all four French activists in Israeli detention. The Israeli ambassador in Paris earlier said the Israeli authorities aimed to put them onto a plane back home "as soon as possible". Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, whose entire population the United Nations has warned is at risk of famine.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Polish government wins vote of confidence in parliament
Poland's pro-EU coalition government has won a vote of confidence in the country's parliament by 243 to 210 votes. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the vote last week following the victory of conservative historian Karol Nawrocki in the Polish presidential election, who defeated Mr Tusk's ally, the centrist candidate Rafal Trzaskowski. The vote in the Sejm, the Polish parliament, was seen as an attempt by Mr Tusk to display unity within the coalition government and to reinforce its mandate, with two-and-a-half years to go until the next parliamentary election in 2027. The main opposition party, the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS), had called on the government to resign following the presidential election in an attempt to capitalise on Mr Nawrocki's victory, the candidate backed by PiS in the race. Mr Tusk presented his government's record to parliament this morning, 18 months after coming to power. He pointed to increased spending on defence and national security, higher spending on social security programmes, stricter immigration controls and improved relations with the European Union as some of the government's main achievements. Mr Tusk also hailed economic growth of 3.7% during the 18 months of the current government and lower inflation, now at 4.1% compared to 18% in early 2023 during the final year of the previous PiS government. However, annual rates of inflation have fallen considerably in most European economies since dramatic highs in 2022, caused largely by supply chain disruptions and higher energy prices following the global pandemic. The result of the recent presidential election, said Mr Tusk, "does not in any way reduce our responsibility, our duties, the scope of power and competence". Leaders of the coalition government's three other parties, speaking in parliament, also gave their support to Mr Tusk's speech. The Polish premier also said that he would announce a cabinet reshuffle in July, perhaps a signal that he wants to give his government some fresh momentum. In a stunt emblematic of the deep polarisation in Polish politics, PiS deputies boycotted Mr Tusk's speech. PiS, along with the far-right Confederation party and the small far-left party, Razem (Together), voted against the government in this afternoon's confidence motion. Mr Tusk's government has struggled to deliver some of the more prominent reforms it promised voters when it was elected in October 2023. These include the liberalisation of Poland's strict abortion laws, the introduction of civil union for same-sex couples and reforms to the judiciary to reverse the rule-of-law changes made by PiS when it was in government from 2015 to 2023. The government's inability to push through some of its reform priorities appears to have dented its popularity. A survey by Polish pollster OGB conducted one week before the presidential election on 1 June found that only one in three people surveyed held a positive view of the current government. Outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has played a role in stifling the government's reform agenda, vetoing or deferring two dozen bills over the past 18 months since the coalition government was formed, including a bill passed by parliament to overhaul the country's constitutional court, currently stacked with conservative judges appointed by PiS. However, differences within the coalition government over abortion legislation and same-sex union have also held back reforms. While Mr Tusk's Civic Platform, the largest party in the coalition, and the Left, the smallest group, support the liberalisation of Poland's strict abortion laws to allow abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, a socially conservative bloc within the coalition opposes full liberalisation and favours a referendum on the issue. The vote of confidence is symbolically important for Mr Tusk as prime minister and his government, which will now try to redouble its efforts to overhaul the judiciary. However, Mr Nawrocki, due to be sworn in as Poland's new president in August, may block or delay those efforts, just as Mr Duda has done.
