Palestinian activist from Cork is homeward bound
A 71-year-old Cork activist is set to return to her home after being deported from Israel for protesting the demolition of homes in the occupied West Bank.
Cork woman Deirdre 'D' Murphy was arrested by Israeli authorities at the small village of Khalet al-Daba'a on May 31 and spent close to two weeks in prison.
The long-standing member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) for Palestine was arrested alongside a Swedish woman after being accused of being in a 'closed military zone'. Deirdre Murphy with her son Dale Ryan. Pic: Supplied
The pensioner was served with a deportation order but decided to spend time in jail in order to appeal it. The ISM confirmed yesterday she was returning to her home in Wales. They claimed she was brought before a tribunal without legal representation, despite requests, and her lawyer was only allowed to visit her once while she was in custody.
Dale Ryan, Ms Murphy's son, said: '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. From their treatment of the Palestinians over the past several decades, this was not something we had the most confidence in. My mother did not want to be detained or deported, she wanted to be in the Masafer Yatta region with her friends, helping in any way she could, but I know she would have been pleased her situation helped to draw some more eyes to the appalling treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and the humanitarian crisis we are witnessing in Gaza.'
Israel has accelerated plans to build settlements in the West Bank since the war with Hamas began, with 22 more approved just before Ms Murphy's arrest.
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