Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire to appear in Israeli court Friday to fight deportation

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Thursday September 30, 2010 16:13

by Kev - IPSC

Stephen Rea and Sharon Shannon sign artists’ pledge to boycott Israel

Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire remained in Israeli custody in Tel Aviv today, two days after being told that she was banned from entering Israel as a result of her participation as a passenger on the MV Rachel Corrie in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in June. She will appear in the Central District Administrative Court in Petah Tikvah 11am (local time) tomorrow, Friday 1st October to contest her deportation. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has condemned Ms. Maguire’s detention.

Mairead Maguire beside the MV Rachel Corrie in May 2010, on which she was kidnapped at sea

Speaking to the IPSC through her legal representative, Ms Fatmeh El-Ajou, Ms Maguire today said: “I am ready to stay in detention until the court decides on my petition – however long it takes. I believe that the message and the mission the women’s group I was travelling with is important and should not be silenced, and for that reason I am willing to make this small sacrifice.”

Ms Corrigan was visiting Israel and the West Bank as part of a women’s fact finding mission looking at the work of Palestinian and Jewish female peace activists. Upon arrival in Ben Gurion airport, Ms Maguire was informed she could not enter Israel and was subsequently dragged by four male security guards to the door of a British-bound aeroplane, whereupon she peacefully sat on the floor, refusing to move. Ms Maguire reported that the manhandling had caused bruises under arms. Ms Maguire refused to board to the plane as her legal representatives had submitted a petition to the courts contesting the deportation.

The IPSC was informed that Ms Maguire is being held in a detention centre in Tel Aviv’s Ben Guiron Airport where she has access to her medication and luggage, and is being treated “relatively” well. Ms Maguire is being represented by Adalah (Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel) attorneys Fatmeh El-Ajou, Orna Kohn and Abeer Baker. On Wednesday 29th, Israeli Supreme Court Justice Hayut issued a temporary injunction preventing the deportation of Ms. Maguire without a hearing.

IPSC National Chairperson Freda Hughes today said: “Ms Maguire has always proven herself to be an honest broker for peace in situations of conflict resolution. She has a proven track record of bravery in campaigning for human rights in conflict stricken areas. We commend her action in refusing deportation and strongly condemn this latest outrageous action by the Israeli state against an international peace activist. Ms Maguire has proven herself to be not only a good to the Palestinians but also to Israelis in her open and honest approach to dedication to achieving a just a sustainable peace in the region.”

Ms Hughes concluded: “It is through unjustifiable actions such as this that Israel is seeing its true Apartheid nature exposed to the world time and again. It is no surprise that people of conscience the world over are increasingly viewing Israel as Apartheid South Africa was once viewed. It is apt that this week saw the Irish Artist’s Pledge to Boycott Israel reach 180 signatures as Stephen Rea and Sharon Shannon both endorsed it. Actions such as this attempted deportation only help to convince people of the necessity of boycotting Israel.”[1]

Background on Ms. Mairead Maguire

Ms. Mairead Maguire was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her extraordinary actions to end the sectarian violence in her native Northern Ireland. In the 30 years since receiving the award, Mairead has dedicated her life to promoting peace, both in Northern Ireland and around the world. Most recently, in June 2010, Ms. Maguire set sail on the MV Rachel Corrie to help break the blockade on Gaza and bring humanitarian aid to the besieged coastal strip. The boat was hijacked in international waters by Israeli commandos, and it was forced to sail to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Ms. Maguire was detained for two days and then deported from Israel.

Background on Israel’s Denial of Entry to Critics of Israeli Policies

This is not the first time that Israel has denied entry to prominent academics and activists who are critical of Israeli policies toward Palestinians. For example, on 16 May 2010, Professor Noam Chomsky was held for several hours while crossing from Jordan to the West Bank and ultimately denied entry. The professor, aged 81, was entering the West Bank in order to speak at Birzeit University near Ramallah.

56-year-old US academic Dr. Norman Finkelstein was prevent from entering Israel on May 23rd 2008 and received a ten year ban being labelled a “security threat”.

Professor Richard Falk - the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories - was denied entry to Israel on 14th December 2008 and deported. Prof. Falk, was on his way to the West Bank to carry out his official functions.

Notes

[1] The 180 signatories to the IPSC’s Irish Artist’s Pledge to Boycott Israel, launched last month, can be seen here: http://www.ipsc.ie/pledge

ENDS

Mairead Maguire greeted by IPSC Chair Freda Hughes after her release from Israeli custody having been kidnapped at sea in the Spirit of Humanity in June 2009.

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Comments (7 of 7)

A very Brave and wonderful women who CARES

by Eamonn O'Coilea'in - Republic of Ireland

Fri Oct 01, 2010 00:42

I would like to say THANK YOU to her for her courage and strength for the great work she does around the world, I've met her before and she stands for truth and JUSTICE, and most important equal rights for all who live on this planet , I wish her strength, and well being.

UPDATE: Mairead Maguire loses Israel deportation battle, to be deported within 48 hours

Fri Oct 01, 2010 18:16

Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire today lost a legal appeal to prevent her deportation from, and 10 year ban on entering, Israel. Ms. Maguire appeared in the Petah Tikva district court this morning where her lawyers argued her case. According to her legal team she will now be deported within 48 hours during which time Ms Maguire may file another appeal with the Israeli high court.

Ms Maguire’s legal representative Salah Mohsen, of Adalah said today: "[The court] decided that she will be deported within 48 hours, leaving her the time, if she wants, to present an appeal to the high court." At the time of writing, the 66-year-old peace activist had not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling.

IPSC National Chairperson Freda Hughes today said: “The IPSC commends Mairead Maguire’s bravery in this case, and we hope she is aware that she has huge support from Irish civil society. Israel’s actions in this instance have revealed it to once again to be an Apartheid State that punishes people like Mairead for their support for Palestinians and human rights in the region.”

Ms Hughes concluded: “Ms Maguire has always proven herself to be an honest broker for peace in situations of conflict resolution. She has a proven track record of bravery in campaigning for human rights in conflict stricken areas. We commend her action in refusing deportation and strongly condemn this latest outrageous action by the Israeli state against an international peace activist. Ms Maguire has proven herself to be not only a good to the Palestinians but also to Israelis in her open and honest approach to dedication to achieving a just a sustainable peace in the region.”

End the occupation

by Conor. M

Sat Oct 02, 2010 23:35

Big support from my household.

Deported

by Justin Morahan

Tue Oct 05, 2010 18:50

RTE news reports that Mairead has been deported from Israel.

She has never ceased to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people under Israel's brutal occupation. She has been a constant counterforce to the lying Israeli propaganda that pretends it wants peace while it laughs in the faces of would be peace-brokers Obama, Clinton and Mitchell.

One of her greatest strengths is her genuine love of all people including her enemies. This has been an embarrassment to powerful forces who would prefer to have her "on side" as they lie and lie and lie.

A really brave woman. A woman of substance.

Welcome home Mairead, your epic saga with the highest courts of Israel and the Israeli government has not been in vain.

So where is our other Nobel voice?

by Fred Johnston

Wed Oct 06, 2010 03:22

So, one might ask, why doesn't our other Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney speak out in her defence?

would be peace brokers?

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party

Wed Oct 06, 2010 13:06

Do you not think Clinton, Obama or Mitchell are just good actors playing good cop to Israel's blatant racist maliciousness?

They could jerk the rope and call the plantation/reservation/bantustan for the colonial program it is, but that would not serve the US's regional interests in maintaining Fort Zion in the Wild East while they hold off China and any other contender that might challenge the still ongoing project for the American century that requires their unipolar control of the global oil reservour. Their other local militarised clients are too unstable and liable to go down under popular forces if the temperature rises above certain levels.

Its the irrisistable force of Euro/American expansionism since its inception meeting the immovable object of Asia.

Heaney has always kept to the safe side of the whatever-you-say street. A 'safe' poet. You dont get to Oxbridge and Nobel without being shown round the tent and proving you wont disturb the pegs. Stealth embedding. I would be quite happy to be proved wrong, but thats my observation.

no nobel solidarity

by Jamsie

Wed Oct 06, 2010 14:03

F. Johnston wonders why Nobel laureate S. Heaney doesn't issue a statement supporting Nobel laureate M. Maguire on her attempts to highlight the people of Gaza. Well one reason might be that Heaney's prize is for literature while Maguire's is for peace. Literature is not always peaceful, though there have been anti-war poems and novels, while some epic poems from ancient Rome and Greece have glorified war. Two different fields. Nobel himself made a fortune selling dynamite - not exactly a force for peace. And some physicists who did theoretical research that indirectly aided the creation of atomic weapons got the science Nobel too. International leaders with bloodied hands have also been awarded. Laureates have been an assorted crowd, lacking group solidarity.

I have to admire Mairead Maguire for her personal perseverance since winning the peace prize in the mid-seventies. She didn't take the money and run. The prize obviously stimulated her to think about her place in the world. Good luck with her continuing deeds.

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Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire to appear in Israeli court Friday to fight deportation

Comments (7 of 7)