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Palestinian Teen Icon Says She Has a 'Political Future'
NABI SALEH, West Bank — Teenage Palestinian protester Ahed Tamimi has vowed to keep demonstrating against the Israeli occupation and says she expects to have a “political future,” without elaborating.
Tamimi spoke to The Associated Press on Monday after serving an eight-month sentence for slapping two Israeli soldiers in an incident captured on film that has made her an icon among Palestinians and their supporters.
She said she hopes to pursue a law degree in order to document human rights violations.
The curly-haired 17-year-old struck the soldiers outside her West Bank home in frustration after learning that troops wounded a cousin in nearby clashes. Israel views her as a provocateur.
Her case sparked debate over what constitutes legitimate resistance to Israel’s half-century rule over the Palestinians.
Palestinians Infuriated by US Embassy’s Move to Jerusalem
She said there had been daily protests and clashes with Israeli soldiers in December after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a move that upended decades of U.S. foreign policy and an international consensus that the city’s status should be settled in negotiations.
The move infuriated the Palestinians, who saw it as a blatant show of pro-Israel bias. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war as their capital.
“Soldiers used to deliberately come through the area of my house, and shoot from the entrance of the house,” Tamimi said. She said the soldier she confronted was the same one who had shot her cousin “only five minutes” earlier. She said that soldiers had shot tear gas at her house even though there was an elderly couple inside.
“I was full of strong feelings, upset … burned from inside,” she said.
Hero of Palestinian Resistance
Tamimi has since become a hero to the Palestinians and an international symbol of resistance to Israel’s occupation.
Israeli authorities treated her actions as a criminal offense, indicting her on charges of assault and incitement.
In Israel, Tamimi is seen as a provocateur who was rightly punished for attacking soldiers.
Ahed Tamimi eats a snack at the family house in the West Bank village of Nebi Saleh, near Ramallah, Monday, July 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
