Twin Palestinian Activists From Sheikh Jarrah Arrested, Released
Prominent twin Palestinian activists Muna al-Kurd and Mohammed al-Kurd, 23, were released from custody after being held by Israel Police for several hours. The siblings have been at the forefront of the campaign to halt the evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, including the #SaveSheikhJarrah social media campaign. Their home is one of those that could be evacuated when Israel’s Supreme Court rules on whether the Jewish organization that owns the building can evict them and move in Jewish tenants.
Muna al-Kurd was taken from her home in handcuffs by police, accused of participating in recent riots in the neighborhood. Her brother, who was not at home at the time of the raid, later turned himself in to police in response to a summons. Their father, Nabil al-Kurd, told the London-based New Arab news website that Muna had been denied access to a lawyer during her interrogation.
“No matter what they do to terrorize and frighten us, no number of arrests will scare us off,” Muna told reporters following her release. “We will remain in our homes and we will continue to defend our land that we were born and raised on.”
Israel Police officers fired stun grenades and rubber bullets in order to disperse protesters gathered outside of the police station where the twins were being held on Sunday, injuring at least 10.
The arrests of the al-Kurd twins came a day after Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Givara Budeiri was arrested while covering a demonstration in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. She was accused of assaulting a police officer. Budeiri was released hours after her arrest. Her left hand was broken during the arrest.