The Swansea-based Irish national had spent the past ten days in an Israeli prison after fighting a deportation order.
Murphy, who has been involved in Palestinian solidarity for over two decades and has a long history of community organising, was arrested with UK-based, Swedish national Susanne Björk on 31 May.
Murphy and Björk were accused of being in a military area while joining part of a protest in the West bank, and were removed by Israeli forces.
Murphy was brought to a deportation hearing on June 1 and decided to spend time in jail to fight the deportation order, which she described as being “unjust”.
Murphy was then brought in front of a Detention Review Tribunal last Wednesday, 4 June, without legal advice or representation, despite her requests for them and multiple attempts by her lawyer to get in touch through the prison service. The next hearing for her deportation case was scheduled for next month.
The lawyer has since managed to visit her once but did not hear back from the prison service regarding her request for release on behalf of Murphy.
Dale Ryan, Murphy’s son, stated: “As a family we are all very relieved to have my mother home. The past 10 days has been intense and we have had to trust that the Israeli authorities would treat my mother fairly and ensure her basic needs were met. From their treatment of the Palestinians over the past several decades, this was not something we had the most confidence in.
“My mother did not want to be detained or deported, she wanted to be in Masafer Yatta with her friends, helping them in any way she could, but I do know that she would have been pleased that her situation helped to draw some more eyes to the appalling treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and the humanitarian crisis we are witnessing in Gaza. I know after a day’s rest my mother will be back gathering support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the fair treatment of all Palestinians, after me and all her family give her a massive hug.”
A spokesperson from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the group that Murphy had joined in Palestine, added: “It comes as no surprise to see that Murphy’s rights under Israeli custody were undermined, a complete disregard for the rule of law. This happened to a western 70 year-old woman, while Palestinians are being tortured in Israeli prisons with our governments refusing to acknowledge this or act. It is a harrowing development that as she is deported, the Israeli forces are finishing to demolish what was left of the village of Khalte Al-Daba’a, where she and Björk were arrested.
“Murphy’s case has served to remind us that the international community not only has an obligation to stop trade and relationships with Israel, but also to take decisive steps to bring the genocide and occupation of Palestine to an end. We are equally sorry to see a shy response from both the Irish and British governments.”
