Named as one of the most influential people by Time Magazine, Muna El-Kurd has become a key figure in the discussion of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Anti-Zionism is often automatically translated to anti-Semitism. However, this year was one of the first in which Palestinian voices were heard, majorly because of Muna and her twin brother Mohammed El-Kurd’s activism through their platforms. As a Palestinian, I owe a huge thank you to Mona El-Kurd and her strive towards, not only Palestinian liberty, but also sharing how occupational forces affect her community’s day-to-day life. Here are a few humble snippets of her empowering journey.
Same courage, 10 years ago…
A video of her and her brother engaged Palestine and was trending just a few months ago. They are seen in their home village of Sheikh Jarrah filming right outside of a Jewish prayer site. Although both seemed nervous, Muna laughingly pointed out that there was a settler in sight, right before chanting, “Settlers. Thieves. Leave the houses.”
It’s impossible for me to imagine the strength a child must have to control their own fright in order to fulfil their duty as the voice of their generation.
“Jacob, you know that this is not your home.”
The first video that introduced El-Kurd to most people (myself included) was of her confronting a settler moving into her house. In the viral video, Jacob “the Settler” (as I’d like to call him) puts her in obvious and heart-wrenching frustration. “And, if I don’t steal it, someone else is gonna steal it,” he tells her in response to her complaints.
I think of this video as the first ripple in the pond of the modern Palestinian revolution since it opened a lot of people’s eyes to the logic many settlers have: the land is owed to them even if it belongs to somebody else.
Going in under arrest, coming out as an activism icon…
The El-Kurds got arrested last June, leading to international rage. Muna was under arrest for supposedly “participating in riots.” Footage of her in hand-cuffs from her home in Sheikh Jarrah surfaced on social media. Although her arrest was only hours long, a public outbreak in her defence was fuelled as it was clear that the Israel Defence Forces were arresting major Palestinian news outlets, journalists and activists. “No matter what they do to terrorize and frighten us, no number of arrests will scare us off,” she told reporters after being let out with her family and members of the neighbourhood by her side.
Her journey surpasses any description I could give by miles, and I think El-Kurd deserves any recognition she can get. Although her activism usually pertains to the cause of Sheikh Jarrah’s freedom, it was empowering for many other Palestinian activists who might have felt that liberty was too out-of-reach. No matter what results from the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, her influence was apparent all throughout, and her name will be written down in history.