CAIRO: Security forces have detained more than 97 members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) on Friday and Saturday after their participation in pro-Palestine demonstrations following Friday prayers. Some of the detainees aren't members of the Muslim Brotherhood but took part in demonstrations that took place in five different governorates. The detainees have been denied access to personal belongings and food that their families brought them, said Muslim Brotherhood lawyer, Abdel Moniem Abdel Maqsoud. Three detainees were also injured as security forces tried to quell the demonstration, he added. A 15-year-old, Abdullah Sayed Ahmed Alfeqy, was also arrested but was released after his father was summoned and he was interrogated. Demonstrations broke out against Israeli plans to build Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and place two West Bank Muslim shrines on a list of Israeli heritage sites. But despite the massive arrests and what they call "a continued violation of human rights, the Muslim Brotherhood announced on its official website that they will continue their efforts to "defend the Aqsa Mosque and to support the Palestinian armed resistance since it is a religious duty to liberate Palestinian, Arab and Muslim land and to expel the Israeli occupation. "The group maintains that the ruling authorities must have an active role and assume its responsibilities towards the Palestinian cause . The MB argues that Egypt should play a leading role today since it boasts a proud history in ending the barbaric and brutal actions of Israel's occupation. The ruling regime must reconsider the 1978 Camp David accords and by all means stop normalizing with the Israeli entity, the statement said. Furthermore, the group called on authorities to stop the aggression and oppression against innocent people, adding that individuals have to be allowed to express their opinions and feel free to support the oppressed Palestinians. "The MB members call for the immediate release of all who have been held in custody without legal justification simply for defending the Aqsa Mosque and expressing their anger on the ongoing Judaization of Jerusalem, they stated. Last month, state security arrested 15 prominent MB leaders including Mahmoud Ezzat, Essam El-Erian and other senior members of the group nationwide. At the time, the banned group released a statement in which they questioned whether there is a relationship between the arrests and the group's plans to make public appeals for solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and "the besieged people of Gaza, as well as the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. Amnesty International has called on Egyptian authorities to "stop their crackdown on peaceful political dissent and uphold the rights to freedoms of expression, association and assembly in Egypt.
