Trial again postponed for Palestinian teen in viral ‘slap video’

 

JERUSALEM: The military trial of a Palestinian teenager charged after a viral video showed her hitting two Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank has been delayed until February 13, officials said Sunday.

Ahed Tamimi, 17, had been due to stand trial on January 31 along with her mother Nariman before the case was postponed until February 6. It is now set for February 13, her lawyer and the Israeli military said.

Both Ahed Tamimi and her mother have been ordered to be held in custody throughout their trial.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticised Israeli authorities’ actions in the case, while the European Union has expressed concern over Israel’s detention of minors, including Ahed Tamimi.

Ahed Tamimi, who was 16 at the time of her arrest, has been hailed as a hero by Palestinians who see her as bravely standing up to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

Israelis accuse her family of using her as a pawn in staged provocations.

She has been charged with 12 counts including assault and could face a lengthy jail term if convicted.

The charges relate to events in the video and five other incidents. They include stone-throwing, incitement and making threats.

Ahed Tamimi’s family says the December 15 incident that led to the arrests occurred in the yard of their home in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah in the West Bank.

Israel’s military said the soldiers were in the area to prevent Palestinians from throwing stones at Israeli motorists.

A video shows Ahed Tamimi and her cousin Nour approaching two soldiers and telling them to leave before shoving, kicking and slapping them.

Ahed Tamimi is the most aggressive of the two in the video.

Nour Tamimi, 20, has also been charged and freed on bail. Her next court date has also been set for February 13, according to the Tamimis’ lawyer Gaby Lasky.

The scuffle took place amid clashes and protests against US President Donald Trump’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Relatives say that a member of the Tamimi family was wounded in the head by a rubber bullet fired during those protests.

Nineteen Palestinians have been killed since Trump’s declaration on December 6, most of them in clashes with Israeli forces. One Israeli has been shot dead since then.