The teenager and her mother were arrested in December 2017 together with another relative, 20-year-old Nour Tamimi, after they were filmed slapping and kicking IDF soldiers in their village.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHUpdated: JULY 29, 2018 01:43Ahed Tamimi (center) enters a military courtroom at Ofer Prison near Ramallah on New Year’s Day.(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)
Ahed Tamimi, the teenager who was filmed late last year slapping an IDF soldier in her village of Nabi Saleh west of Ramallah, is expected to be released from prison on Sunday morning, after serving an eightmonth sentence.She and other members of the Tamimi clan have become famous in recent years for their appearances in photographs and videos in which they provoke IDF soldiers.Her mother, Nariman, who was also arrested in connection with the December 15, 2017, incident, is also expected to be released from prison on Sunday morning.Palestinian activists describe Ahed, 17, as a "symbol of resistance against Israeli occupation."The teenager and her mother were arrested in December 2017 together with another relative, 20-year-old Nour Tamimi, after they were filmed slapping and kicking IDF soldiers.Nour Tamimi was given a NIS 2,000 fine and sentenced to 16 days in prison.The Tamimi family and Palestinian activists are preparing a hero’s welcome for Ahed and her mother in Nabi Saleh. Dozens of family members and supporters are expected to receive the two upon their release at an IDF checkpoint near Tulkarm.Later in the day, Ahed is scheduled to hold a press conference in the Bedouin shantytown of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Ma’aleh Adumim. Khan al-Ahmar residents are facing eviction next month.Ahed was sentenced in March to eight months in prison after reaching a plea bargain, under which she pleaded guilty to one count of assault, one count of incitement, and two counts – unrelated to the December incident – of obstructing soldiers. She also agreed to pay a NIS 5,000 fine.Her father, Bassem Tamimi, said on Saturday that several Palestinian groups plan to celebrate the release of his daughter and wife. He said that the two will first head to Ramallah to lay a wreath at Yasser Arafat’s mausoleum in the Palestinian Authority Mukata presidential compound.
It was not immediately clear whether the two would meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.The president’s health has been deteriorating in recent months. Abbas was hospitalized in Ramallah on Friday for tests. PA officials said Abbas underwent “routine medical tests” and the results were good. They said Abbas went back to work after the tests.
