SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Ahed Tamimi, the 17-year-old Palestinian girl who was arrested in January for slapping an Israeli soldier, was sentenced to eight months in prison. (Photo: Jewish Voice for Peace/Twitter)
'No Justice Under Occupation': Palestinian Teenager Ahed Tamimi Gets 8 Months in Prison for Slapping Israeli Soldier
"17-year-old Ahed Tamimi will serve 8 months in jail for slapping a soldier who invaded her home. Meanwhile, IDF soldier Elor Azaria will serve 9 months for executing in cold-blood a wounded Palestinian."
Mar 22, 2018
Ahed Tamimi, the 17-year-old Palestinian girl who was arrested in January for slapping an Israeli soldier, was sentenced Wednesday to eight months behind bars, enraging activists across the world who have advocated for her release.
"There is no justice under occupation."
--Ahed Tamimi
Tamimi confronted a pair of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers outside her family home in the occupied West Bank last December just moments after learning a solider had shot her 15-year-old cousin in the face.
Some compared Tamimi's sentence to that of an IDF soldier who was captured on video in 2016 fatally shooting an injured Palestinian man in what was described by one United Nations expert as an "extrajudicial execution."
Speaking with reporters after the sentencing on Wednesday, Ahed Tamimi said, "There is no justice under occupation."
\u201cWATCH: This is how 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi responded when asked how she felt about her sentencing during her trial today. She and her mother Nariman were both sentenced to 8 months in Israeli prison. Her cousin Nour was sentenced to 5 months.\u201d— IMEU (@IMEU) 1521663827
"Ahed Tamimi, a teenage Palestinian girl who slapped a machine gun-toting Israeli soldier that came to her house as part of an occupying army, will spend eight months in Israeli prison for 'assault,'" Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, toldNewsweek.
"At the same time, an Israeli court shortened an already short sentence for Elor Azaria, who executed a prone Palestinian in cold blood, so that he will only serve nine months in prison," Munayyer noted. "The perverse Israeli legal system, in all its forms, functions to protect abusers as they trample on those who the state looks down upon."
Several others compared the sentences on social media:
\u201cAhed Tamimi will serve 8 months in jail for slapping a soldier on her property after soldiers shot her cousin in the face. \nElor Azaria, the Israeli soldier who executed a wounded Palestinian, will serve 9 months in jail.\u201d— Rula Jebreal (@Rula Jebreal) 1521646059
For some, Tamimi has become the latest symbol of the injustice Palestinians face under Israeli occupation. She was denied bail earlier this year, and will receive credit for the time she was detained during the closed-door trial. The sentence resulted from a plea deal her lawyer reached with the Israeli military court. She pled guilty to four charges.
In additon to the jail time, she will pay a $1,400 fine, according toHaaretz, which reported that "the prosecution also reached plea agreements with Nur and Nariman Tamimi, Ahed Tamimi's cousin and mother, both of whom were involved in the videotaped slapping of the soldier."
Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East division of Human Rights Watch, explained that "plea bargains are the norm in Israel's military justice system, which is characterized by prolonged pretrial detention, abuse of kids and sham trials."
"Ahed will be home in a few months," Whitson added, "but Israel is putting this child behind bars for eight months for calling for protests and slapping a soldier, after threatening her with years in jail."
"The fact that a child will be jailed for 8 months for slapping a soldier whose troops just shot her 15 year old cousin in the face is extreme, but in the context of the 99 percent conviction rate in the Israeli military court system and right-wing incitement against Ahed, this compromise by the Israeli military shows they have decided to back down in the face of growing pressure to release Ahed," Fadi Quran, a Palestinian activist and senior campaigner with Avaaz, wrote on Medium.
Whitson and Quran both pointed out that the Israeli military detains hundreds of Palestinian children each year.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Ahed Tamimi, the 17-year-old Palestinian girl who was arrested in January for slapping an Israeli soldier, was sentenced Wednesday to eight months behind bars, enraging activists across the world who have advocated for her release.
"There is no justice under occupation."
--Ahed Tamimi
Tamimi confronted a pair of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers outside her family home in the occupied West Bank last December just moments after learning a solider had shot her 15-year-old cousin in the face.
Some compared Tamimi's sentence to that of an IDF soldier who was captured on video in 2016 fatally shooting an injured Palestinian man in what was described by one United Nations expert as an "extrajudicial execution."
Speaking with reporters after the sentencing on Wednesday, Ahed Tamimi said, "There is no justice under occupation."
\u201cWATCH: This is how 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi responded when asked how she felt about her sentencing during her trial today. She and her mother Nariman were both sentenced to 8 months in Israeli prison. Her cousin Nour was sentenced to 5 months.\u201d— IMEU (@IMEU) 1521663827
"Ahed Tamimi, a teenage Palestinian girl who slapped a machine gun-toting Israeli soldier that came to her house as part of an occupying army, will spend eight months in Israeli prison for 'assault,'" Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, toldNewsweek.
"At the same time, an Israeli court shortened an already short sentence for Elor Azaria, who executed a prone Palestinian in cold blood, so that he will only serve nine months in prison," Munayyer noted. "The perverse Israeli legal system, in all its forms, functions to protect abusers as they trample on those who the state looks down upon."
Several others compared the sentences on social media:
\u201cAhed Tamimi will serve 8 months in jail for slapping a soldier on her property after soldiers shot her cousin in the face. \nElor Azaria, the Israeli soldier who executed a wounded Palestinian, will serve 9 months in jail.\u201d— Rula Jebreal (@Rula Jebreal) 1521646059
For some, Tamimi has become the latest symbol of the injustice Palestinians face under Israeli occupation. She was denied bail earlier this year, and will receive credit for the time she was detained during the closed-door trial. The sentence resulted from a plea deal her lawyer reached with the Israeli military court. She pled guilty to four charges.
In additon to the jail time, she will pay a $1,400 fine, according toHaaretz, which reported that "the prosecution also reached plea agreements with Nur and Nariman Tamimi, Ahed Tamimi's cousin and mother, both of whom were involved in the videotaped slapping of the soldier."
Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East division of Human Rights Watch, explained that "plea bargains are the norm in Israel's military justice system, which is characterized by prolonged pretrial detention, abuse of kids and sham trials."
"Ahed will be home in a few months," Whitson added, "but Israel is putting this child behind bars for eight months for calling for protests and slapping a soldier, after threatening her with years in jail."
"The fact that a child will be jailed for 8 months for slapping a soldier whose troops just shot her 15 year old cousin in the face is extreme, but in the context of the 99 percent conviction rate in the Israeli military court system and right-wing incitement against Ahed, this compromise by the Israeli military shows they have decided to back down in the face of growing pressure to release Ahed," Fadi Quran, a Palestinian activist and senior campaigner with Avaaz, wrote on Medium.
Whitson and Quran both pointed out that the Israeli military detains hundreds of Palestinian children each year.
Ahed Tamimi, the 17-year-old Palestinian girl who was arrested in January for slapping an Israeli soldier, was sentenced Wednesday to eight months behind bars, enraging activists across the world who have advocated for her release.
"There is no justice under occupation."
--Ahed Tamimi
Tamimi confronted a pair of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers outside her family home in the occupied West Bank last December just moments after learning a solider had shot her 15-year-old cousin in the face.
Some compared Tamimi's sentence to that of an IDF soldier who was captured on video in 2016 fatally shooting an injured Palestinian man in what was described by one United Nations expert as an "extrajudicial execution."
Speaking with reporters after the sentencing on Wednesday, Ahed Tamimi said, "There is no justice under occupation."
\u201cWATCH: This is how 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi responded when asked how she felt about her sentencing during her trial today. She and her mother Nariman were both sentenced to 8 months in Israeli prison. Her cousin Nour was sentenced to 5 months.\u201d— IMEU (@IMEU) 1521663827
"Ahed Tamimi, a teenage Palestinian girl who slapped a machine gun-toting Israeli soldier that came to her house as part of an occupying army, will spend eight months in Israeli prison for 'assault,'" Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, toldNewsweek.
"At the same time, an Israeli court shortened an already short sentence for Elor Azaria, who executed a prone Palestinian in cold blood, so that he will only serve nine months in prison," Munayyer noted. "The perverse Israeli legal system, in all its forms, functions to protect abusers as they trample on those who the state looks down upon."
Several others compared the sentences on social media:
\u201cAhed Tamimi will serve 8 months in jail for slapping a soldier on her property after soldiers shot her cousin in the face. \nElor Azaria, the Israeli soldier who executed a wounded Palestinian, will serve 9 months in jail.\u201d— Rula Jebreal (@Rula Jebreal) 1521646059
For some, Tamimi has become the latest symbol of the injustice Palestinians face under Israeli occupation. She was denied bail earlier this year, and will receive credit for the time she was detained during the closed-door trial. The sentence resulted from a plea deal her lawyer reached with the Israeli military court. She pled guilty to four charges.
In additon to the jail time, she will pay a $1,400 fine, according toHaaretz, which reported that "the prosecution also reached plea agreements with Nur and Nariman Tamimi, Ahed Tamimi's cousin and mother, both of whom were involved in the videotaped slapping of the soldier."
Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East division of Human Rights Watch, explained that "plea bargains are the norm in Israel's military justice system, which is characterized by prolonged pretrial detention, abuse of kids and sham trials."
"Ahed will be home in a few months," Whitson added, "but Israel is putting this child behind bars for eight months for calling for protests and slapping a soldier, after threatening her with years in jail."
"The fact that a child will be jailed for 8 months for slapping a soldier whose troops just shot her 15 year old cousin in the face is extreme, but in the context of the 99 percent conviction rate in the Israeli military court system and right-wing incitement against Ahed, this compromise by the Israeli military shows they have decided to back down in the face of growing pressure to release Ahed," Fadi Quran, a Palestinian activist and senior campaigner with Avaaz, wrote on Medium.
Whitson and Quran both pointed out that the Israeli military detains hundreds of Palestinian children each year.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.