homeTech

Palestinian makeup artist arrested for Facebook post

A 22-year-old Palestinian makeup artist was arrested last month by Israeli police on charges of incitement over a Facebook post hailing a bus bombing by a Hamas-affiliated suicide that killed several Israelis.

"The news of 20 settlers injured is nice," Majd Atwan posted on her Facebook page. This online post led to a 45-day imprisonment and a fine of 3,000 shekel ($800).

Israeli police forensic experts work at the scene after an explosion tore through a bus in Jerusalem on Monday and set a second bus on fire, in what an Israeli official said was a bombing, April 18, 2016. | REUTERS/RONEN ZVULUN

"Your occupation to our land does not need "incitement" for our People to revolt... I am part of an occupied People...so don't expect me to greet you with flowers instead of anger," Atwan said in response to the charges.

According to Al-Jazeera, prisoners' rights group Addameer records that Atwan is only one of nearly 150 Palestinians arrested over their Facebook posts. Another case involved Palestinian attacker Muhannad Halabi, who posted threatening statements on social media before attacking some Israelis in October 2015.

"We have been studying very closely those patterns of incitement in Palestinian society," Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesperson for Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Al-Jazeera. Nahshon confirmed that 59 Palestinians have so far been guilty of incitement online since last autumn.

Yousef Atwan claims that his daughter is not politically active and is really only involved in beauty. "Did she write stuff online? Yeah, like all other Palestinians. I really don't understand why they chose to arrest her," he said.

"It was two o'clock in the morning. If you saw the number of military jeeps, you'd think Osama bin Laden was in the neighborhood," Nidal Atwan said, recalling the fateful day her daughter was taken from them. She said she was shocked and furious about her daughter's arrest citing that her daughter was only interested in nails.

The young stylist has earned two certificates in cosmetology while working as a beautician straight from high school. Apart from applying makeup and manicures to clients, she also enjoys swimming and hangs out with her mom who said they're like sisters and best friends.