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 (48) 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,” she said.
Both women were volunteering with the pro-Palestinian group International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
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Ms Björk said she and Ms Murphy had stayed in Khalet al-Daba’a on Friday after she was physically assaulted by a settler who stole her phone.
She reported the theft to the local Israeli police station, which is located in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba, and provided a photo of the settler involved in the robbery. She was told she would need to make a formal statement at the Israeli police station the next day and, as a result, the two women were allowed to stay in Khalet al-Daba’a in Masafer Yatta in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. They were ordered to leave the village on Saturday.
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. Ms Björk called the local Israeli police, who then detained both women.
While the two women were at the Israeli station, Ms Björk said, two young Palestinian boys aged around 13 were brought in blindfolded and in cable ties. Ms Björk said she asked the police why the boys were treated this way and the police officer replied: “These are terrorists, and they’ll run very fast if they’re not zip tied.”
People are absolutely terrified, and the escalation of violence and settler violence and demolitions happening all over the West Bank is just horrendous
— Susanne Björk
“How they treated us is nothing compared to how they treat even Palestinian children,” said Ms Björk. “We were released that night.”
The two women 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 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.”
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.
“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,” she said.
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.”
