Irish pensioner in Israel fighting deportation order

Irish Times

3 days ago

A Swedish woman who was arrested along with Irish national Deirdre 'D' Murphy (71) by
Israeli
military on Saturday has spoken of the
escalating violence
happening all over the West Bank.
Susanne Björk told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland that 'our governments' were completely ignoring the situation 'not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank.
'It's people like D and myself who come out there just to try and document what's happening and provide some solidarity with the Palestinian people and families.'
Both of the women volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and were ordered to leave the village of Khalet Al-Daba'a in Masafer Yatta in the southern part of the occupied West Bank on Saturday.
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A spokesperson for ISM said they were complying with the order when they were arrested by Israeli settlers, who were wearing military uniform as they are reservists. The settlers then called police and detained Ms Murphy, from Co Cork, and Ms Björk.
The two activists were ordered to appear at a deportation hearing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday where they were issued with deportation orders. Ms Björk was deported on Monday but Ms Murphy is fighting the deportation order and is currently still in a detention centre at Ben Gurion Airport.
Ms Björk said she and other volunteers went to the region 'because the situation is so horrible'.
'This village, all over the West Bank, obviously the situation, is horrendous. People are absolutely terrified and the escalation of violence and settler violence and demolitions happening all over the West Bank is just horrendous and no one's reporting on this,' she said.
'I mean our governments are completely ignoring the situation not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. It's people like Dee and myself who are highlighting the situation.'
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This was the first time that Ms Björk had been arrested, but it was not the first time she had experienced such intimidation, she said.
'Usually that would have meant a ban from a certain area, perhaps, that you were not allowed to enter that area. But my lawyer said that this is a new policy that they've implemented in the last few months, where they arrest people and deport people straight away and send them to immigration hearing at Ben Gurion. And this is, I think, quite a new policy,' she added.
'They're just trying to get rid of anyone who tried to document the reality of the occupation and the war crimes taking place.'
When asked if she would return, Ms Björk said she would if she could, but it seemed unlikely because she did not receive any of the documentation she was promised at the police hearing.
'They were supposed to provide us with an English transcript of the interview. I never received that. I also didn't receive any protocol from the immigration hearing.'
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. It said it does not comment on the details of individual cases.
Ms Murphy is a founding member of Swansea Palestine Community Link and was previously detained in Israel in 2011, when she travelled to the Jewish state with the Welsh pro-Palestine group.
Her son, Dale Ryan, said: 'As far as I can see her only crime was observing crimes against Palestinian people. D has always had a strong sense of justice and I know she could not sit at home while she knew her friends in Masafer Yatta and all of Palestine were suffering unnecessarily.
'I am very proud of my mother for sticking up for the basic human rights of her friends and trying to raise awareness of the injustices the Palestinian people are experiencing.'