Mon, 17th August Cardiff 23°
Nation.Cymru wordmark
Advertisement

News

Swansea woman arrested by Israel in Palestine

By Emily Price
Ms D Murphy

Emily Price

A woman from Swansea has been detained by Israeli police in Palestine, according to an activist group.

The 70 year old, known as Ms D Murphy, was arrested by Israeli authorities in the southern part of the occupied West Bank on Saturday (May 31), the International Solidarity Movement said.

The pensioner - originally from Cork in Ireland but who now lives near Swansea city centre - had been volunteering with the Palestinian anti-occupation group since May.

Before her arrest, she had joined other international activists in protecting the small Palestinian village of Khalet al-Daba’a which has been targeted by Israeli forces.

[mid-content-banner]

Deportation

Ms Murphy was arrested alongside a 48-year-old Swedish activist Susanne Björk after the pair were accused of being in a closed military zone.

On Monday (June 1), Israeli police made an unsuccessful attempt to deport Ms Murphy - but she refused to be put on a plane at Tel Aviv airport and called for a court trial instead.

Activists say she is now facing jail time in Israel.

Ms Murphy said: "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."

[lower-mid-content-banner]

Detained

Ms Murphy has been in Palestine for three weeks after joining the International Solidarity Movement.

She was the founding member of Swansea Palestine Community Link and was previously detained in Israel in 2011 when she travelled there with a Welsh pro-Palestine group.

The pensioner worked for many years as a book keeper for the award winning Undercurrents media group in Swansea - an alternative news agency which produces videos on history, social justice and environmental action

Upon hearing of his mother's arrest, Dale Ryan, who lives in Caswell, Gower said: "As far as I can see her only crime was observing crimes against Palestinian people.

"My mother 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.

"Of course I want her home safe with her family who love her, but I know a piece of her heart is in Palestine and she needs to be there, doing what she can."

The village which Ms Murphy was arrested in near Masafer Yatta is inside an area that Israeli authorities designated as a military firing zone in the 1980s.

Activists say the 120 strong community is being illegally cleared by Israel.

On May 22nd, the Israeli government announced plans to establish twenty new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank – the largest expansion of Israeli settlements in decades.

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News

19 comments

Hogyn y Gogledd

Desperately trying to remember where I came across this list of dont's: Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house (Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s) slaves, or his animals, or anything of thy neighbour

Reply
Amir

She is right, most governments are choosing to ignore the Genocide in Ghazza. Brave astounding lady, my heroine.

Reply
Hal

"freedom for all people" Does Ms Murphy have a proposal to achieve this?

Reply
Amir

Stop fighting, start talking. For all its city razzing, the zionists have not found the remaining hostages. For all that the zionists have desamated and killed in Ghazza, Hammas have not backed down.

Reply
Amir

Fighting hasn't solved much except exterminating more Ghazza residents. The fighting has not eradicated Hamas. They seem to regroup regardless. The pause is to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need. I suppose to show humanity which seems in short supply.

Reply
Hal

You're right they can't eliminate them so Israel only has one option left and that's to push Hamas out of the Palestinian territories and into other states so those states become responsible for the organisation they're harbouring. Geopolitics can then do the rest. Israel can only ensure their security by completely controlling the Palestinian territories. The quasi-autonomous experiment failed.

Reply
Rhufawn Jones

How can Palestine ensure it's security from an apartheid land-grabbing state?

Reply
Johnny

Don't waste your time responding to a Zionist Bot

Reply
Hogyn y Gogledd

There was no Hamas until the zionist state was 40 years old. It was caused by the zionist state.

Reply
Hal

Because previous groups were eliminated or agreed peace deals, but external forces didn't want that. Hamas was originally funded by Saudi. That funding dried up after 9/11 and Iran took over. Without these external forces meddling in the region there would've been peace decades ago.

Reply
Hogyn y Gogledd

You mean, like zionist settlers from all over the world? Who were clearly aware of their religious commandments??

Reply

In reply to Hogyn y Gogledd

Hal

How do you propose to bring peace to the region?

Reply

In reply to Hal

Amir

To Both sides: Stop fighting, Stop hating, stop being racist, stop feeling like you are better, stronger , dominant, winning. Neither of you are. Make Jerusalem like the Vatican, it's own state entrusted to persons from all of the mosaic religions. Give back land taken from the Palestinians and stop settling. Entrust Palestinians with their own land, industry, government. Like Japan after the war. I know it is never going to happen but you asked and this is my solution.

Reply

In reply to Amir

Hal

I agree that Jerusalem should be an independent city state. It'd take a generation of peace before both sides can trust again. The only way I can see that happening is the creation of third Palestinian territory outside of the existing borders and free from Israeli control, that can be jointly administered by the UN and PA to keep Hamas out. Somewhere where the ordinary functions of a state can happen, a modern economy, government, health infrastructure, education, tourism, etc. This doesn't try to solve land disputes, it simply allows a modern safe and prosperous Palestinian state to exist. And let the next generation decide how to settle the matter permanently. Question is, which neighbour in the region might be willing to contribute land to this plan and what should they get in return.

Reply
Cymrawd Popty-Ping

Besides Iran, Qutar and Saudi, Hamas was propped up by that most unlikely of patrons - Israel, its self! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/world/middleeast/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html

Reply
Cymrawd Popty-Ping

Da iawn! With thirty or so notable exceptions, D has more courage & humanity in her pinky finger than the whole of Westminster's assorted menagerie. Never again shall I chide her for being late for a demo bus.

Reply
Garycymru

That woman has considerably more decency than most of the criminals in wastemonster.

Reply
Y Cymro

Those of the Zionist persuasion in Israel should learn from history. The abused often become the abuser. Allowing genocide to occur in Gaza and the West Bank is a stain on humanity no amount of scrubbing or Whitewashing will ever remove. Apparently it's a crime to care these days. Just wanting a ceasefire or merely showing support for Palestinian civilians being starved and slaughtered antisemitic. Benjamin Netanyahu reminds of cult leader Charles Manson and those within his family who he sends out to kill. What Israel is freely and openly allowed to do is truly shocking. Western governments are complicit and their media are too. What hypnotic hold those have over them is very sinister. There will only be peace in the Middle East when America is removed as a mediator between Israel & Palestine, the UN is moved from New York to a neutral country, and the five permanent members of the UN, America, China, France , Russia and Britain's veto is removed. One member one vote. You cannot have one country (America) that funds weaponizes the accused (Israel) be allowed to use its veto so perpetuating the conflict and killing. This would never be allowed in a court of law. America cannot be sole judge jury and executioner.

Reply
Hal

There won't be peace until everyone accepts Israel's right to exist. That's the only reason this wasn't settled decades ago.

Reply

Leave a reply

Replying to Hogyn y Gogledd Cancel

There was no Hamas until the zionist state was 40 years old. It was caused by the zionist state.

Comments are reviewed before they appear.