Israel prevents Afro-Palestinian artist from attending father’s funeral

Afro-Palestinian artist and activist Shaden Al-Qous returned home yesterday evening after being granted bail, only to find that her father, Musa Qous, had already been buried following a tragic fire at their family home in East Jerusalem.

Al-Qous, 27, was arrested by Israeli occupation forces on 6 January from her East Jerusalem home. Her release came after five days of house arrest and a raid by Israeli occupation forces, during which her laptop and phone were seized. Shaden was also prevented from attending her father’s funeral.

She faces charges of alleged incitement on social media and was released pending further legal proceedings.

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) condemned her arrest and its repercussions. “Shaden is an outspoken artist and activist who uses her art to call for Palestinian freedom and justice,” said Julie Trebault, executive director of ARC.

“Young Palestinians who exercise their inherent right to freedom of expression are routinely targeted by the Israeli military in an attempt to instill fear and silence them. As an Afro-Palestinian artist and aspiring lawyer, her arrest exposes the Israeli authorities clamping down on diverse Palestinian voices, particularly when they challenge preconceived notions and simplistic narratives of identity,” she added.

Al-Qous is well-known for her work with the El Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe, where she merges traditional Palestinian dabke with Afro-Palestinian dance elements. Her art often celebrates Palestinian cultural identity despite restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities, including the criminalisation of the Palestinian flag.

In February 2024, she appeared on Al Jazeera’s AJ Stream programme, where she spoke about her Afro-Palestinian community and the double discrimination it faces as Black Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. She also highlighted social media censorship of Palestinian activism and the clampdown on non-violent forms of resistance.

ARC has called for an end to arbitrary attacks on Palestinian artists and activists.

The escalation in attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem came after a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal took hold in Gaza on 19 January, following 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war that killed over 47,500 Palestinians and reduced the enclave to rubble.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said that the physical and mental conditions of freed prisoners reflect the aggravated “atrocities” committed against them.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank in attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers.

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