What can we expect from the deportation process?(Monday, 11 July 2011)
The Swansea women are refusing to co-operate with Israel so they will not accept being deported. So what can we expect Israel to do?
Last year Irish Nobel Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire was deported from Israel on October 5th after spending more than a week in detention at Tel Aviv Airport as she attempted to fight the deportation order.4 Israeli security men tried to force her to board an airplane after she arrived in the country as part of the Nobel Womens' Initiative (NWI) delegation to Israel and Palestine.Maguire put up fierce resistance and stated she would fight the deportation through an Israeli court. She was supported by the captain of the airplane and he refused to allow any passengers to be forcefully boarded against their will. She was eventually deported, and warned they would not be able to enter Israel again for ten years.
Al Jazeera has a a report from the first people to be released from the prisons.
After being detained at Ben Gurion airport and placed in a bus where they were held for four hours, the bus carrying the activists finally moved and drove the group to a prison facility near Beer Sheva in the Negev desert, a two hour drive from the airport.
Submitting to their fatigue after skipping a night of sleep, the detainees disembarked the prison bus and were guided through one of the prisons narrow corridors filled with prison guards, some of whom were filming or taking pictures of the new arrivals.
Having been crammed into the bus for hours, many of the detainees fell asleep on the concrete floor of the cell after finally being able to lie down. Later, each person was again frisked and brought to the actual prisoners' area, where they met with a psychologist and a doctor.
The detainees were given breakfast and a bag containing slippers, clean prison outfits, soap, and toothpaste and a brush. Each one was allocated a bed bunk, four to a cell.
Later, the detainees were individually called in for a meeting with Israeli immigration officers who asked them to sign declarations in which they would promise not to go to the Palestinian territories in the future and refrain from causing trouble or taking part in protests. In some cases, the declarations were also deportation forms.
Last year Irish Nobel Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire was deported from Israel on October 5th after spending more than a week in detention at Tel Aviv Airport as she attempted to fight the deportation order.4 Israeli security men tried to force her to board an airplane after she arrived in the country as part of the Nobel Womens' Initiative (NWI) delegation to Israel and Palestine.Maguire put up fierce resistance and stated she would fight the deportation through an Israeli court. She was supported by the captain of the airplane and he refused to allow any passengers to be forcefully boarded against their will. She was eventually deported, and warned they would not be able to enter Israel again for ten years.
Al Jazeera has a a report from the first people to be released from the prisons.
After being detained at Ben Gurion airport and placed in a bus where they were held for four hours, the bus carrying the activists finally moved and drove the group to a prison facility near Beer Sheva in the Negev desert, a two hour drive from the airport.
Submitting to their fatigue after skipping a night of sleep, the detainees disembarked the prison bus and were guided through one of the prisons narrow corridors filled with prison guards, some of whom were filming or taking pictures of the new arrivals.
Photo:Flytilla activists detained in a prison bus at Ben Gurion airport
Having been crammed into the bus for hours, many of the detainees fell asleep on the concrete floor of the cell after finally being able to lie down. Later, each person was again frisked and brought to the actual prisoners' area, where they met with a psychologist and a doctor.
The detainees were given breakfast and a bag containing slippers, clean prison outfits, soap, and toothpaste and a brush. Each one was allocated a bed bunk, four to a cell.
Later, the detainees were individually called in for a meeting with Israeli immigration officers who asked them to sign declarations in which they would promise not to go to the Palestinian territories in the future and refrain from causing trouble or taking part in protests. In some cases, the declarations were also deportation forms.
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/what-can-we-expect-from-deportation.html
Some released..58 now left in Israeli Prisons(Monday, 11 July 2011)
UK Consular staff in Tel Aviv report that 2 UK nationals are due to be deported at 1820 UK time, and should arrive in London Luton at 2355. (Easy Jet flight: EZY 2086)
At 83, the oldest UK participant, John Lyons is due to travel with Mick Napier, the UK co-ordinator of the Welcome to Palestine initiate.
Jerusalem Post report:
Israel has deported some 23 "Flightilla" activists today, leaving only 58 in Israeli prison awaiting flights out of the country.Six French citizens left Israel on an easyJet flight bound for Switzerland. In addition, 15 Belgian citizens were sent on a Swiss Air flight to Zurich. Two German citizens were flown on Austrian Airlines to Austria. One activists from Belgium was released into Israel, after pledging not to violate any laws.
Although they refused to be deported, they were forced to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. The flight will reach Frankfurt at 20:00 (german time) and some passengers will transit to Berlin (arrival 22:50) and Hanover (arrival 22:10) according to the Israeli Airport Authority’s assurances while Lufthansa said the plane has a delay of at least one hour.
At 83, the oldest UK participant, John Lyons is due to travel with Mick Napier, the UK co-ordinator of the Welcome to Palestine initiate.
Jerusalem Post report:
Israel has deported some 23 "Flightilla" activists today, leaving only 58 in Israeli prison awaiting flights out of the country.Six French citizens left Israel on an easyJet flight bound for Switzerland. In addition, 15 Belgian citizens were sent on a Swiss Air flight to Zurich. Two German citizens were flown on Austrian Airlines to Austria. One activists from Belgium was released into Israel, after pledging not to violate any laws.
Although they refused to be deported, they were forced to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. The flight will reach Frankfurt at 20:00 (german time) and some passengers will transit to Berlin (arrival 22:50) and Hanover (arrival 22:10) according to the Israeli Airport Authority’s assurances while Lufthansa said the plane has a delay of at least one hour.
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/58-now-left-in-israeli-prisons.html
First people back in UK share their experiences (Tuesday, 12 July 2011)
“There has been much misinformation suggesting that we came here to demonstrate in the airport and cause disorder wherever we went. The office of Prime Minister Netenyahu said, ‘This planned event is a continuation of the attempts to undermine Israel's right to exist’, and ordered a major police and security operation to prevent it.“In reality our protest was simply to refuse to conceal our intention to go to the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Our aim was to highlight that Israel routinely deports those who indicate any sympathy whatsoever with Palestine.
“If anything has undermined ‘Israel's right to exist’, it is the very actions of the state itself.
Mick Napier shares his experience
Read more here
A BBC report on the first British prisoners to return to the UK
"Some of the men and women being detained started a hunger strike this morning because we were denied any information about any charges against us and were also denied a telephone call over the entire period we were in prison. But we are all in high spirits." Mick Napier
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14116304
First person to arrive back in UK shares his experience with The Independent newspaper
"We were chained, handcuffed and detained for no apparent reason - we had committed no crimes - no UK or Israeli law was breached.We were denied any information about any charges against us and were also denied a telephone call over the entire period we were in prison.It was a situation of lawlessness."
Mr Mick Napier
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/deported-israel-campaigners-return-to-the-uk-2312350.html
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/first-people-back-in-uk-share-their.html
Interview with first UK deported man
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/interview-with-first-uk-deported-man.html
Four Welsh activists remain in Israel as first captured campaigners return to UK (Tuesday, 12 July 2011)
Two British campaigners have arrived back in the UK after they were detained in Israel while trying to visit the West Bank town of Bethlehem.Mick Napier, 64, chairman of The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and retired university lecturer John Lynes, 83, flew back into Luton Airport early this morning after being deported by officials.
They were amongst 13 British people, including four Welsh passengers, who were detained by soldiers at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Friday before being put in prison.The four Welsh passengers were: Pippa Bartolotti, 57, deputy leader of the Wales Green Party; Dee Murphy, 56, from Swansea, founder member of Swansea Palestine Community Link; Joyce Giblin and Fiona Williams.
Click here to find out more!
University lecturer Mr Napier said that all members of his group began a hunger strike after information on charges against them was not provided and they were denied a phone call.
Read More
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/wales-onlinefour-welsh-activists-remain.html
Swansea people send letter to MP's calling on Government to act (Wednesday, 13 July 2011)
Dear Geraint Davies and Martin Caton AM
Detention of Swansea women by Israel
Constituents of yours are among those imprisoned in Israel after being unlawfully detained in transit through Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport on the way to West Bank Palestine.We are referring to D Murphy, an Irish citizen resident in Mount Pleasant, and Fiona Williams of Mumbles.
Their detention is unlawful because the Israeli occupation and settlement of the West Bank is illegal under international law. It is in furtherance of this policy that Israel has closed all independent access routes to the occupied territories, leaving only Tel Aviv airport and the Israeli-controlled Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan.
Although Israel cites security reasons for detaining the ‘fly-in’ passengers over the weekend, there was no risk to security at the airport or anywhere else in Israel or the occupied territories.Passengers are routinely searched anyway, and those on the weekend ‘fly-in’ were committed to non violence, as were their Palestinian hosts.
The detention of these passengers, among scores of others, is yet another assertion of the occupation in defiance of international law, as recognized by the British government among others.Consular help for the victims is not enough. What is now required is at very least a formal protest by the UK and other governments concerned, and a clear demand that this will not happen again. Visitors to Palestine should not be forced to lie about their destination or pose as pilgrims. The British government should not leave it to individual citizens to assert and act upon the international law to which it subscribes, and which it has a duty to enforce.
Please convey this message as urgently and forcefully as you can to the ministers concerned, and we would welcome any other help you can offer.
yours sincerely
Greg Wilkinson, 19 Trafalgar Place SA2 0BU
Ada Garton, 19 Trafalgar Place SA2 0BU
Clare Pilborough 34, Glen Road, West Cross SA3 5PR
Barbara Clark, 33 Brynmill Terrace, SA2 0BA
Maggie Tracey, 6 Pen-y-Bryn, Cwmllynfell SA9 2FL
Keith M Ross, 2 Francis Street, Brynmill SA1 4NH
Lisa Reese, 51 Linkside Drive, Southgate SA3 2BS
Brian and Jan Jones, 72 Heol Gwyn, Yr Alltwen, Pontardawe SA8 3AN
Deborah Fink (Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods), 51 Langley Drive, London E11 2LN.
Bob Cotterill, 8 Harries St,. Mt. Pleasant, Swansea, SA1 6HR.
Marilyn and Alan Thomas, 8 Western Close, Mumbles SA3 4HF
Detention of Swansea women by Israel
Constituents of yours are among those imprisoned in Israel after being unlawfully detained in transit through Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport on the way to West Bank Palestine.We are referring to D Murphy, an Irish citizen resident in Mount Pleasant, and Fiona Williams of Mumbles.
Their detention is unlawful because the Israeli occupation and settlement of the West Bank is illegal under international law. It is in furtherance of this policy that Israel has closed all independent access routes to the occupied territories, leaving only Tel Aviv airport and the Israeli-controlled Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan.
Although Israel cites security reasons for detaining the ‘fly-in’ passengers over the weekend, there was no risk to security at the airport or anywhere else in Israel or the occupied territories.Passengers are routinely searched anyway, and those on the weekend ‘fly-in’ were committed to non violence, as were their Palestinian hosts.
The detention of these passengers, among scores of others, is yet another assertion of the occupation in defiance of international law, as recognized by the British government among others.Consular help for the victims is not enough. What is now required is at very least a formal protest by the UK and other governments concerned, and a clear demand that this will not happen again. Visitors to Palestine should not be forced to lie about their destination or pose as pilgrims. The British government should not leave it to individual citizens to assert and act upon the international law to which it subscribes, and which it has a duty to enforce.
Please convey this message as urgently and forcefully as you can to the ministers concerned, and we would welcome any other help you can offer.
yours sincerely
Greg Wilkinson, 19 Trafalgar Place SA2 0BU
Ada Garton, 19 Trafalgar Place SA2 0BU
Clare Pilborough 34, Glen Road, West Cross SA3 5PR
Barbara Clark, 33 Brynmill Terrace, SA2 0BA
Maggie Tracey, 6 Pen-y-Bryn, Cwmllynfell SA9 2FL
Keith M Ross, 2 Francis Street, Brynmill SA1 4NH
Lisa Reese, 51 Linkside Drive, Southgate SA3 2BS
Brian and Jan Jones, 72 Heol Gwyn, Yr Alltwen, Pontardawe SA8 3AN
Deborah Fink (Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods), 51 Langley Drive, London E11 2LN.
Bob Cotterill, 8 Harries St,. Mt. Pleasant, Swansea, SA1 6HR.
Marilyn and Alan Thomas, 8 Western Close, Mumbles SA3 4HF
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/swansea-people-send-letter-to-mps.html
Swansea MP requests the women are released to go to Palestin e(Wednesday, 13 July 2011)
Today Martin Caton, MP for Gower, has contacted the Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who has responsibility for the Middle East about the conditions Fiona and D are being kept in. He requested that the Under-Secretary of State make representations regarding their arrest and imprisonment.
Mr Caton said
'I also asked him to request that the Israeli authorities allow them to continue their peaceful journey to the West Bank.'
Welsh women stand firm on Israeli protest
Read more here
http://www.swanseapalestine.org/2011/07/swansea-mp-requests-women-are-released.html
No comments:
Post a Comment