By Yaseen Kippie

Teenage Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi was arrested early this morning, a day after a video of her punching, slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in a West Bank village went viral. Her mother has also been arrested later in the day.

Ahed was recently in South Africa as part of the Shamsaan Pals4Peace Tour. The 16-year-old Tamimi was removed from her home in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, and she was brought in for questioning.
Her father Bassem, a well-known Palestinian activist, said that she stopped soldiers “in front of the house when he shot her cousin in his head.”

Nadia Meers, organizer of Shamsaan Pals4Peace SA tour and close contact with the Tamimis, spoke to the family just hours after the arrest.

“A lot has happened in Palestine after Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Lots of unrest, especially in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, the village has been sieged, with heightened chekpoints. IDF has arrested and shot many Palestinians. Soldiers surrounding the house shot at their windows, and shot Ahed’s counsin in the face. She was furious that this was still happening.”

Soldiers stormed the Tamimi’s home at 4am this morning. They trashed the home, and confiscated all the electronics of family members. Ahed’s father, Bassem al-Tamimi, posted on Facebook an update on what happened.

Meers says “the arrest of children has been commonplace. Ahed’s young brothers have also been arrested. Mohammed al-Tamimi has spent several months in jail. They have a strong resistence.”

Ahed Tamimi has won a courage award from Turkish President Tayyib Erdogen, and addressed the EU parliament in Brussels.

She became well-known a while ago in a video of her biting the hand of a soldier who was holding her brother.

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