Israel sentences Ahed Tamimi’s brother to 14 months for stone-throwing
Waed Tamimi, the brother of recently released Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, was sentenced to more than a year in prison for stone-throwing, the Israeli army announced on Tuesday.
Ahed Tamimi attracted global attention when a video was shared of her slapping an Israeli soldier in December, just hours after learning that Israeli forces had shot her 15-year-old cousin Mohammed in the head.
The 17-year-old and her mother Nariman – who had filmed and then shared the scene on social media – were both arrested shortly afterwards and sentenced to eight months in prison, sparking protests.
Waed Tamimi, 22, was detained by Israeli forces in May over “suspected involvement in popular terror acts”, the Israeli army told Middle East Eye at the time.
On Monday, an Israeli military court found Tamimi guilty of participating in a “violent riot” – the term usually used by Israeli forces to describe Palestinian demonstrations – in which an Israeli police officer was wounded by stones thrown at his vehicle.
According to a court document seen by AFP, he was given a 14-month sentence after reaching a plea bargain.
“The whole case against my son is an admonitory one,” his father, Bassem Tamimi, told MEE on Tuesday. “I consider this to be revenge against the whole family.”
He added that he felt the sentence was disproportionate to the charges.
“Many kids in similar cases went home without charges being filed against them. If it was someone from another family I believe he would have received less time,” he said.
Until Ahed and Nariman Tamimi were released from prison less than a month ago on 29 July, half of the Tamimi family were detained by Israel, with only Bassem Tamimi and his two youngest sons, Mohammed, 14, and Salem, 12, left in the family home in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.
“This sentence was a surprise for us. This stole our moment of joy with Ahed’s release,” Bassem Tamimi added, noting that the sentencing came right during the holiday of Eid al-Adha.
“We don’t expect justice from this system.”
Since her detention, Ahed Tamimi has become a symbol of Palestinian resistance, a role her and her family have taken up, while repeatedly highlighting that hundreds of Palestinian minors are detained by Israel without receiving the same level of international attention.
Nabi Saleh, the Tamimis’ hometown, has long been known for its demonstrations against the Israeli occupation.
In June, Israeli forces shot and killed 21-year-old Ezz al-Din Abd al-Hafeezh Tamimi, a cousin, during a raid in the village.
