Irish man in Israeli prison awaiting deportation

An Irish man detained by Israeli troops during a protest in Nablus last week is still in a West Bank prison, awaiting deportation.

Mr Salah Afifi (25), an architect from Dublin whose mother is Irish and whose father is Palestinian, is being held in Ramle detention centre.

He was arrested last Wednesday along with five French and three US nationals during a protest by 40 international volunteers and locals at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank village of Huwara.

He had been in the area for the past two weeks as a volunteer with International Solidarity Movement, a non-violent direct action campaign against the Israeli occupation.

Mr Afifi said in a statement that their "presence was required to act as protection for Palestinian farmers and villagers" from harassment at the checkpoint. He said a number of his party were beaten and injured during their arrests, which followed an Israeli assault with rubber bullets, sound grenades and gas.

A spokeswoman for the Irish-Palestinian Solidarity Movement said it was hoped Mr Afifi would be back in Ireland tomorrow, but he may not arrive until Thursday. She said he was "comfortable" in the Israeli prison, but has complained of lack of access to regular excercise.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it has been in contact with the Israeli authorities and is working to have Mr Assisi returned home as soon as possible.

Israel has a policy of deporting all foreign nationals arrested during demonstrations.

A second Irish national, Mr Colm Breathnach (38), also from Dublin, is house-sitting in a house marked for destruction by the Israeli army in al-Farra refugee camp near Nablus. The house belongs to the family of a suicide bomber.

The Irish-Palestinian Solidarity Movement spokeswoman also said a delegation of four young Palestinians will arrive in Dublin tomorrow for a brief lecture tour. The four, aged between 15 and 21, will host a public meeting on their experiences growing up under occupation in Temple Bar before meeting politicians at Leinster House on Wednesday. The group appeared at the West Belfast festival last week and have also spoken at the United Nations headquarters in New York.