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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli police on Sunday briefly detained a Palestinian activist who was protesting against the construction of a National Park in East Jerusalem.

Muhammad Abu al-Humos was protesting against the destruction of land in the neighborhood of al-Mutilleh for the construction of an Israeli 'National Park', due to be built between the Palestinian neighborhoods of al-Isawiya and al-Tur.

Al-Humos told Ma'an he was arrested for obstructing the work of Israel's Nature and National Parks Authority and was later released by Israeli police and forbidden to enter the al-Mutilleh neighborhood for 12 days.

An Israeli police spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

In 2011, the Israeli District Planning Committee for Zoning and Building in Jerusalem submitted a plan for the construction of a 'National Park', which would be built on 738 dunams of land confiscated from the Palestinian neighborhoods of al-Isawiya and al-Tur, according to the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem.

Construction of the park would effectively separate the neighborhoods of al-Tur and al-Isawiya, diminish the possibility of future expansion for Palestinian villages in the area, and facilitate the link between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim and E1 settlement area, the CCPRJ says.