Israeli police arrest Palestinian activist in flashpoint district of Jerusalem

Israel Police on Sunday arrested a prominent activist who campaigned against threatened expulsion of Palestinian families from homes in Sheikh Jarrah, neighbourhood in east Jerusalem.

Mona el-Kurd (23) was taken away for questioning. The police left a summons for her brother Muhammad.
The family's lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said police charged Mona el-Kurd with "acts that disturb peace and order" and "riotous acts".

The footage of her being handcuffed and taken away was shared widely on social media.

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Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, responded by launching volleys of rockets towards Israel on May 10, triggering an 11-day war between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants.

While Palestinians and their backers see the issue as a microcosm of the wider conflict over land, Jewish settlers and their supporters have labelled it a property dispute to be decided by Israeli courts.

Looming evictions

The el-Kurd twins, whose family is currently under threat of losing their home, have led an active protest movement on the streets and online.

They have gained more than 180,000 Twitter follower, and more than half a million on Instagram, using the hashtags #SheikhJarrah and #SaveSheikhJarrah to bring their neighbourhood's plight global attention.

Their father, who spoke to AFP in front of the police station, dubbed his daughter's arrest part of "an operation to terrorise the parents, because the voice that emerged from the neighbourhood was thanks to its youth".

He said his son Muhammad had been away teaching in the West Bank city of Ramallah but was on his way back to cooperate with the police summons.

Police did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

(With inputs from agencies)