After a video of Ahed Tamimi slapping an Israeli soldier went viral in 2017, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—particularly the plight of Palestinian children living under Israeli military occupation—gained new attention.
The 16-year-old was furious at the time of the altercation when she heard that an Israeli soldier had shot her younger cousin Mohammad in the head with a rubber-coated bullet, critically injuring him. Tamimi has previously confronted armed soldiers, and similar encounters had also been documented on camera.
However, the picture of a daring adolescent slapping a heavily armed soldier with a pink shirt and wavy blonde hair generated discussion and curiosity all around the world.
Tamimi was acclaimed as a hero by Palestinians. She was referred to as anything by Israelis, from a troublemaker to a terrorist. She was portrayed as the face of a young generation fighting militarism and colonialism by some in the world community. But for Tamimi, it was the result of a lifetime of pain, anxiety, and terror.
Ultimately, Tamimi was detained by Israeli police, prosecuted in Israeli military court, and found guilty on four counts of “criminal activities where she interrupted an IDF soldier and carried out provocation,” earning her an eight-month prison term.
At sentencing, Tamimi declared: “No justice under occupation, and this court is illegal.”
