A 70-year-old Irish woman was arrested Sunday night in the Palestinian village of Khalet al-Daba, south of Hebron, after she refused IDF orders to leave the area, the Israel Police reported Tuesday.
Máire ní Mhurchú, also known as D Murphy, is a pro-Palestinian activist who was detained together with 48-year-old Swedish activist Susanne Björk, the police said.
They had been volunteering for the International Solidarity Movement and were arrested for being in a closed military zone, the police said.
Björk was set to return to Sweden, but D Murphy is fighting against the deportation order and remains in detention at Ben-Gurion Airport, Irish media outlets reported.
“Tourists who exploit their entry into Israel to promote subversive activities against the state will find themselves outside its borders,” the police said. “Israel is determined to prevent any attempt to undermine its governance and stability. Any anti-Israel activity will be met with a swift and decisive response from the security forces.”
D Murphy was also reportedly detained in 2011 by Israeli authorities.
Family of Irish pro-Palestinian activist celebrate arrest
Her son, Dale Ryan, told the Irish Times: “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.”