Two Palestinian Activists Included on Time’s List of 100 Most Influential People in World
Gaza, MINA – The American newspaper “Times” chose the Palestinian activists Mona and Muhammad Al-Kurd, from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, eastern Jerusalem, among the 100 most influential people in the world for the year 2021.
The newspaper said on Wednesday that the two Kurdish brothers, through online posts and appearances in the media, provided the world with a “window on living under occupation in East Jerusalem.”, MINA’s Contributor in Palestine reported.
Mona and Muhammad’s activities helped to bring an international shift in discourse regarding Israel and Palestine, according to the newspaper.
For more than a decade, the Al-Kurd family has struggled with dozens of their neighbors in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood against the Israeli occupation attempts to forcibly evict them from their homes.
It added that in May, tensions in Sheikh Jarrah spread to the Old City of Jerusalem, where Israeli occupation forces attacked worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and then, the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza responded by firing rockets into Israel, which led to new escalation in Gaza.
It added that Muhammad and Mona, who were briefly detained by Israeli authorities this summer, challenged the Israeli propaganda about Palestinian resistance through publications and interviews, in which they responded to allegations that the violence was predominantly by Palestinians.
Muhammad and Mona al-Kurd helped inspire the Palestinians in diaspora to resume protests against Israel, as well as United States witnessed remarkable growing support for Palestinians.
Since she was twelve years old, Mona and her twin, Muhammad, began documenting settlers’ attempts to take over homes in Sheikh Jarrah. They had charismatic and daring personalities, so they became the most famous voice of those threatened with losing their homes in Sheikh Jarrah.
And in early June, the Israeli police arrested the twins, Mona and Muhammad, on charges of “carrying out acts that disturb order and peace and riotous acts”, in light of wide solidarity with them inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territories.
Palestinians say that Israeli occupation is working to Judaize the occupied city of Jerusalem, which is the capital of Palestine, and obliterate its Arab Palestinian identity.
The selection of the Mona and Mohammad came along with leading figures and leaders of countries in the world, including Chinese Presidents Xi Jinping, American Joe Biden, Iranian Ibrahim Raisi, and head of the Taliban’s political bureau, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. (L-K-G/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
