Israel: Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi sentenced to eight months in prison

The 17-year-old Palestinian girl Ahed Tamimi was sentenced to eight months and a 5,000 shekels fine (around £1,000) with a three-year suspended sentence after entering into a plea deal at Ofer military court in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Ahed was accused of aggravated assault and 11 other charges after a video showing her shoving, slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in her home village of Nabi Saleh on 15 December last year went viral on Facebook.

Amnesty International said the continued imprisonment of Palestinian child activist Ahed Tamimi is a flagrant attempt to intimidate those who dare challenge the circumstances of the ongoing occupation. 

Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East, said “Today’s sentence is another alarming example of the Israeli authorities’ contempt for their obligations to protect the basic rights of Palestinians living under their occupation, especially children."

Mother and cousin also sentenced

Ahed was convicted on four of the 12 charges against her, including incitement, aggravated assault and two counts of obstructing Israeli soldiers. Her mother Nariman was sentenced to eight months in prison in addition to a fine of 6,000 shekels (around £1,250) and given a three-year suspended sentence for assisting in assaulting a soldier, obstructing a soldier and incitement. Ahed’s cousin, Noor Tamimi, was fined 2,000 shekels (around £350).

Arrested during protest

Ahed Tamimi was arrested on 19 December last year after her mother, Nariman Tamimi, also a prominent activist, posted the footage of her altercation with Israeli soldiers online. Nariman Tamimi was arrested later that day, while Ahed’s cousin, Nour Tamimi, was arrested the following morning. 

Nour was released on 5 January pending trial, and was sentenced today to the time she had already spent in prison. Ahed confronted the soldiers amid a demonstration in Nabi Saleh against US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The incident took place on the same day that one of Ahed’s other cousins, 15-year-old Mohammad Tamimi, was hit in the head at close range by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli soldier and sustained serious injuries.