Irish woman faces deportation after arrest in West Bank
A 70-year-old Irish woman has been arrested in the occupied West Bank and is currently detained in Israel fighting a deportation order.
Deirdre 'D' Murphy is originally from Douglas in Cork but is now based in Swansea in Wales.
She is volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), an activist group helping Palestinian residents in the occupied West Bank.
ISM said Ms Murphy was arrested in the village of Khalet Al-Daba'a in Masafer Yatta in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
A spokesperson for ISM said Ms Murphy and another Swedish volunteer, 48-year-old Susanne Björk, were ordered to leave the village by the Israeli military on Saturday, 31 May.
She said as they were complying with the order they were arrested by Israeli settlers, who were wearing military uniform as they are reservists, who then called police and detained Ms Murphy and Ms Björk.
They were interrogated in a local police station accused of being in a military zone, as parts of Masafer Yatta have been designated by Israeli authorities a closed military zone since the 1980s.
ISM said that 90% of the homes in Khalet Al-Daba'a have been demolished and residents are living in tents and caves.
The two activists were ordered to appear at a deportation hearing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv yesterday where they were issued with deportation orders.
Ms Björk was deported this morning but Ms Murphy is fighting the deportation order and is currently still in a detention center at Ben Gurion Airport.
ISM said she will be transported to another facility to await a court hearing.
Ms Murphy's son, Dale Ryan, also based in Swansea, told RTÉ News that his mother has been there for five weeks but has been volunteering in the West Bank for 20 years and considers many families in the area as friends.
"She has been in good shape for her age, but I am worried about her health as conditions are difficult," he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.
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