AN Irish pensioner has been detained by Israel in the West Bank and is facing jail time, according to an activist group.
70-year-old Máire ní Mhurchú, who is known as D Murphy, was detained by Israeli police on Saturday in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, according to the International Solidarity Movement.
Living in Swansea but originally from Cork, Murphy was arrested with 48-year-old Swedish activist Susanne Björk, apparently for being in a closed military zone.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Murphy reportedly refused to be put on a plane at Tel Aviv airport by police and called for a court trial instead.
The activist group she is a part of, which supports Palestinian residents in the West Bank, said Murphy is “fighting the unjust deportation order and is facing time in jail”, after being arrested, adding: “We demand action now.”
She told Nation Cymru: “When most governments all around the world are ignoring the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank, ordinary people like me are answering the Palestinians’ call to come and be a witness to these events being carried out by the Zionist Israeli entity.
“It’s not about politics, it’s about justice and freedom for all people.”
Her son, Dale Ryan, said meanwhile: ”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.”
A spokesperson for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they are aware of the case and providing consular assistance.
“As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases,” they added.
