On Friday, December 11, more then 150 people marched to Sheikh Jarrah, to show support and solidarity with the families who has been evicted from their houses, and those facing evictions. Upon arriving at the neighborhood, the protesters continued to the Al-Kurd’s home where settlers have taken over parts of the house, making the Al-Kurd lives a living hell.
The Israeli courts, who never dare even acknowledge the rights of Palestinian refugees, have ruled that four families who were evicted from their homes in the Nakba ("disaster") of 1948, are to to be evicted from their houses since the land was owned by Jews some 50 years ago. The court never dealt with the houses and land that were taken from these Palestinian families (and that are now populated by Israelis) since Israeli laws allowed to confiscated the properties of Palestinians refugees. The Palestinian families were removed not to house the descendants of the land's original owners, but for settlers from an extremist organization (Ateret Cohanim) working to expel all Palestinians from Jerusalem.
The marchers chanted and spoke against the settlers and the protection they receive from the Israeli courts in their attempt to remove all Palestinians from East Jerusalem. Not surprisingly, the police and Israeli soldiers protected the settlers and expressed their banal and blunt opposition to the protesters in words ( “why are we suppose to be around those who are against Jews?”) and later in actions.
After an Israeli flag which represents colonialism and more then 60 year of apartheid and ethnic cleansing was removed from the stolen settler house window, the police charged the protesters, beating and arresting 23 people, three of them internationals.
Requests by some arrestees for medical attention after being pepper- sprayed and beaten were ignored by the police immediately after the arrests. While one person was lying on the ground, calling for help and expressing deep pain at the police station, the cops were watching videos taken at the protest, and talking casually between themselves. After an hour the police officers finally agreed to call an ambulance, but refused to allow medical personal to evacuate the wounded person (although a medics insistence on it). He was allowed to be taken to a hospital only after the intervention of lawyers.
All the protesters were eventually taken to the main police station in Jerusalem, where they were left to stand outside in the cold night for hours. Six protesters were signaled out by the cops, deeming them to be the “leaders” and the instigators of the demonstration. Many request to see lawyers were ignored and silenced (at one point as a direct order of the police personal in charged of the investigation), and all of the arrested protesters were charged of attacking police personal, rioting, and refusing to dispersed.
The five women who were arrested were taken to the general population in a women prison and requests by one of them for medical attention were also ignored. The eighteen men were taken to the police detention center in Jerusalem. Although it is illegal to arrest a person for more then 24 hours without a judge decision, the arrestees were held for more then 36 hours before seeing a judge (and more then 12 hours without being fed). The six person who were singled out by the police at first were charged with rioting and for “putting the public at risk” with their actions. As their statement the six express their concerns at the police action and at the persecution request that they will not be allowed to enter the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood for three month. The judge who behaved very annoyingly all through the procedure, not allowing the defense lawyers to speak freely, ruled that all the six are not to enter Sheikh Jarrah for the next thirty days. While he was speaking the chants and yelling of tens of activists were heard from a demonstration held outside of the court.
The other 12 persons arrested were not charged with anything, but were also ordered not to enter Sheikh Jarrah for 30 days. The three internationals were taken by the immigration police, prompting the lawyers to quit from representing their clients for the illegality of treating the three international activists differently from the rest of the arrestees. After an appeal to the Israeli High Court, they were also released.
Although the police actions, supported by the court ruling were designed to discourage those who participate (or those who are planning to participate in the future) in solidarity activities, the opposite has been achieved. The police and military were exposed again for their violence and protection of Israel’s racist policies against Palestinians, and the Israeli court was exposed for its criminalization of those challenging those policies. One activist was heard yelling leaving the court “next week we will meet again in Sheikh Jarrah”. Upon their release from the police detention (some only at 4am, hours after the trial ended), the arrestees all express their intention to come back and support the just struggle of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah.

to see a video of the demo and arrests watch: