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The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Let down by a world that claims to be humane but does nothing': Palestinians speak out as Israeli bulldozers raze West Bank villages
Jaber Dabbaseh sits upon a pile of dust-strewn rubble. 'We feel oppressed, let down by a world that claims to be humane, while it does nothing,' the father-of-five says. The ruins once formed his family home in Khalet al-Daba'a in the West Bank, before his village was almost entirely demolished by Israeli bulldozers. A crippling 2025 for Palestinians in the West Bank has seen 14 children among 80 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the north of the territory alone. In late May came a hammer blow when Israel announced that 22 new settlements had been approved. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich warned Israel would 'not stop until the entire area receives its full legal status and becomes an inseparable part of the State of Israel,' a lucid illustration of the aggressive pro-settlement policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. On Thursday 5 June Palestinians marked Naksa Day, a commemoration of the forced displacement of around 300,000 Palestinians during the June 1967 war. Nearly six decades on, demoralised West Bank residents tell The Independent that the current situation is worse than ever. 'Their future is lost and we cannot provide for them, even a little,' says Dabbaseh, lamenting the life awaiting his five boys. 'The situation is very, very tragic.' Dabbaseh is one of the residents of Khalet al-Daba'a that have remained on the land, living in tents and residential caves since Israeli machinery razed it to the ground on 5 May. The IDF says the village is 'built illegally within a military firing zone' and that Palestinians live there illegally. This is disputed by the UN, EU, and rights organisations who say the forced expulsion of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta is illegal. 'Israel must immediately halt illegal practices leading to the forced displacement of Palestinians, including attacks on residential areas, destruction of property and infrastructure, pervasive access and movement restrictions imposed on Palestinians,' Amnesty International said on Thursday in a statement marking Naksa Day, as it accused Israel of presiding over a 'ruthless system of apartheid'. Since Khalet al-Daba'a's destruction, settlers have roamed the remnants of the village daily, grazing their sheep and vandalising remaining structures in the hope of pushing Palestinians away from the land, residents say. Footage shows settlers stood among the wreckage of Khalet al-Daba'a as three soldiers watch on, hands in pockets, relaxed and chatty. 'Our children are struggling to reach school and live in anxiety and fear. We cannot protect them from the settlers. We have no clinics, no schools, no recreational facilities for children,' Dabbaseh says. Nine houses, ten water tanks, four animal shelters, a community centre and most of the village's solar panels in the village were flattened by the army of bulldozers in less than two hours, according to activists. Residents watched on helplessly from a nearby hilltop, witnessing the stark transformation of their small village into a bleak landscape of lost livelihoods. Masafer Yatta, a collection of hamlets in the South Hebron Hills which the Israeli army declared a military firing zone in the 1980s, has faced some of the most brutal manifestations of Israeli occupation. After decades of legal wrangling, the High Court ruled in 2022 that there were no legal barriers to prevent the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes. Many Palestinians have repeatedly rebuilt their homes after they have been flattened. Others have moved into caves which have been renovated by locals and activists to make them habitable for families. Jaber Dabbaseh says the latest eviction was the eighth he has seen his home demolished in as many years. Increasingly emboldened by the Israeli government's pro-settlement policies, the rate of settler attacks on Palestinian villages has increased over the past year, residents say. Each week, footage emerges on social media of settlers, often masked and armed, descending on Palestinian villages in the West Bank. 'We are full of sadness, full of weakness. What can we do?' asks Mohammad Hesham Huraini, a 22-year-old activist who lives in the nearby village of at-Tuwani. 'The people are scared and afraid. They want someone to stand by them to at least feel that we are not alone.' Speaking in a phone call last Friday, Huraini says he is due to join join fellow activists and resident to visit the remnants of Khalet al-Daba'a. 'I don't know if we will come back in an ambulance, or a military jeep, or a police jeep,' he says. 'It's really worse than ever before, more dangerous than before. The people feel that they are alone, the international community just watches.' Days later, Huraini was detained while sitting in a tent with other activists in Khalet al-Daba'a. Israeli police have routinely detained activists and residents on the land, including 70-year-old Irish woman Deirdre Murphy - who as of Friday remained in detention as she appealed her deportation - and Swedish national Susanne Björk, both UK residents. The army says entry into is prohibited under military orders. 'Every day it's getting worse and worse, and we expect there is more worse to come,' says Mohammad Hureini - a cousin of the previously-quoted Mohammad Hesham Huraini. Speaking of the settlers, he said: 'There is no power to stop them, they are roaming daily, shooting, stealing land. Anyone who stands up for their rights will be attacked.' The Israeli military says its troops are 'required to act to stop the violation' in instances of violence against Palestinians and 'to delay or detain the suspects until the police arrive at the scene'. But Palestinians say Israeli authorities offer no such protection. Activists including Basel Adra, the Oscar-winning director of the documentary No Other Land, which depicts settler and military violence in Masafer Yatta, have issued an urgent call for journalists and activists from the international community to flock to the West Bank. 'It's not easy for me to write this, but my community Masafer Yatta will be destroyed unless more activists and journalists don't urgently come and join us on the ground,' Adra wrote on X along with a video showing Israel settlers standing among the ruins of Khalet al-Daba'a. During one such visit led by Adra earlier this week, masked Israeli soldiers barred around 20 journalists from entering the villages. As the conversation draw to a close, Huraini thanks the international community for their support. But now, he says, as the community of Masafer Yatta looks ahead to a gloomy future: 'We need you here on the ground.' The IDF said: 'The mission of the IDF is to maintain the security of all residents of the area, and to act to prevent terrorism and activities that endanger the citizens of the State of Israel. 'Enforcement against illegal structures is carried out in accordance with the law, operational priorities, and subject to approval by the political echelon. The structures built in [Khalet al-Daba'a] and nearby areas were constructed illegally and were therefore demolished after the owners were given the opportunity to present their claims. 'The IDF monitors developments in the area and acts in accordance with regulations.' Israeli police were also contacted by The Independent.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Send her home': Son of Irish woman, 70, in Israeli detention pleads for her release
The son of a 70-year-old Irish woman currently in Israeli detention has pleaded for her release amid concerns over his mother's health. Deirdre Murphy, who has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, was detained in the recently-demolished West Bank village of Khalet al-Daba'a. According to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), she has not been provided legal counsel since Monday. Ms Murphy, who is originally from Cork and now based in Swansea, was arrested alongside 48-year-old Swedish national Susanne Björk, who claimed to The Independent that the pair had to 'fight to even be allowed to go to the toilet' during their detention. 'Who doesn't allow a 70-year-old woman to go to the toilet? It's certainly not something a democratic country would be doing,' said UK resident Ms Björk, who has already been deported from Israel. Israeli police did not address this claim when approached by The Independent. Khalet al-Daba'a, a West Bank village demolished by Israel earlier in May. Ms Björk said allegations by Israeli police that they had failed to show their IDs and were in an area they were not permitted to be on were false. International and local activists have been stationed in Khalet al-Daba'a since its demolition on 5 May in an attempt to prevent nearby Israeli settlers from damaging the remaining buildings. After refusing to leave Israel voluntarily, Ms Murphy and Ms Björk were told they had been arrested and would be deported. Ms Murphy decided to challenge the deportation order. Dale Ryan, Ms Murphy's son, has called on Israeli authorities to 'treat her with dignity and respect' while she is in detention - and pleaded with authorities to 'send her home quickly'. 'Israel is meant to be a civilised country, so you think [the detainees] basic rights would have been met. But maybe that trust is a little bit misguided,' said Mr Ryan, 46, who added that he is 'really proud' of his mother. He explained that his mother has bronchiectasis, a long-term condition which can cause an inflammation of the airways in the lungs. 'Stress can make symptoms worse as well,' Mr Ryan explained. 'So I am a little bit concerned. I just hope my mother's in good health, but also my mother is quite a resilient person… I know she will gain strength from this.' Along with other activists, Ms Björk and Ms Murphy were filming and following settlers who activists say have been roaming the demolished landscape of Khalet al-Daba'a, grazing their sheep and damaging the homes that remain standing. The two women were complying with an order to leave the land when they were apprehended by a settler in military uniform who demanded to see their passports, Ms Björk said. After police were called, the pair were detained, as authorities accused them of being in an area they were not allowed in and of failing to show their IDs. 'These are completely false accusations,' Ms Björk said. 'As soon as they told us we were not allowed in the area, we tried to leave. The soldiers had at first our passports, and then the police took our passports. We complied with all instructions.' Video footage seen and published by The Independent shows armed Israeli authorities in possession of the two women's passports. The video ends before the pair left the area, where they were then apprehended by the settler in military uniform. Ms Murphy and Ms Björk were released on Saturday evening, and after declining to voluntarily leave the country on Sunday, they were told they would be detained for 72 hours before they were deported after a hearing. Ms Murphy chose to fight the deportation and was moved to Givon Prison in Ramla on Tuesday, according to the ISM. The group alleges that Ms Murphy was brought to her deportation hearing on Wednesday without legal representation nor notification to her lawyer, despite her request. Speaking on Thursday morning, Ms Björk was keen to emphasise that their treatment in detention was better than that of Palestinians. She recalls seeing two 'small boys who were blindfolded and zip tied' being brought into the police station after their initial detention. 'They looked about 13 or 14, these boys were obviously terrified. I mean, we were getting water and being fed and everything, so we're very privileged in one way, because the way we were treated and the way Palestinians are treated is wildly different,' she said. A spokesperson from the Irish foreign affairs ministry confirmed to The Independent that they were aware of the case and were providing consular assistance. Israeli Police told The Independent that the women were detained on 'suspicion of violating a military order' and were therefore restricted from the West Bank for 15 days. 'Over the weekend, police received a report from the security coordinator of the community of Ma'on regarding the presence of several suspicious individuals near a structure in the area of Khirbet al-Dab'a, located within an active military firing zone near the community of Avigayil in the South Hebron Hills,' they said in a statement. 'Officers from the Hebron station, along with IDF forces from the subdistrict, arrived at the scene and identified the individuals as two foreign nationals, who were present within the closed military zone in violation of a standing military order. Information provided by the Judea and Samaria Central Investigations Unit (YAMAR) indicated that one of the suspects are known abroad for involvement in anti-Israel activity. 'Following the hearing on Sunday, it was determined that both individuals would be removed from the country,' they added. 'One of the suspects agreed to the removal order and signed a declaration stating that she would not appeal the decision. The second notified authorities of her intent to file a petition against the decision.' Ms Murphy will remain in custody at Givon Detention Facility until 'her departure or the legal resolution of her appeal', they said.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Irish pensioner in Israel fighting deportation order
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. READ MORE [ Restricting food distribution in Gaza may constitute Israeli war crime, says UN rights office Opens in new window ] 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.' [ Fintan O'Toole: Netanyahu's big lie is that 'They' are not really the same species as 'Us' Opens in new window ] 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.'
