Ahed Tamimi in court
Photo: EPA
Military tribunal closes doors on Tamimi's trial
Disregarding request by family of Palestinian teen provocateur Ahed Tamimi to hold open-door trial, military tribunal orders closed-door session to 'protect the minor'; Tamimi will remain in custody until her next court date on 11 March; court's decision 'meant to protect the court rather than Tamimi,' her attorney said.
The Ofer military tribunal opened Tuesday the trial of 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi, on trial for hitting soldiers during clashes in her Nabi Salih home. Before the trial began, Tamimi's family appealed to Judge Lt.-Col. Menachem Lieberman and asked for an open door session, but the judge refused, rendering it closed to the media and the public.
His decision, Lieberman explained, was aimed at "protecting the minor." He further ruled the next session of her trial will be held in a month—on 11 March.
Tamimi arriving in court Tuesday (צילום: רויטרס)
Tamimi's attorney Gaby Lasky responded to the court's decision to hold a closed-door trial and said it was meant "to benefit the court rather than Ahed, because the court did not wish for the trial to be held in the public eye."
The military tribunal ordered Tamimi's trial to be held behind closed doors (Photo: Amit Shabi)
While the soldiers showed restraint and refrained from retaliating in kind, Tamimi was nevertheless charged with assaulting the two, as well as with five other counts of throwing rocks, participating in riots, threats and incitement.
The attack that led to Tamimi's arrest and trial
In total, Tamimi's indictment includes 12 articles, one of which is the infamous video that led to her arrest. The video showed Tamimi and her cousin striking the soldiers near her home, with the soldiers not responding.
The young Palestinian provocateur was charged with aggravated assault of a soldier and disrupting soldiers in the line of duty. According to the indictment, she threatened the soldier by saying, "Get out or I'll punch you" and "Don't touch me or I'll break your face."
After the original video cut off and the soldiers left, Tamimi filmed a separate statement in which she said, "I hope everyone will participate in the protests because they're the only solution. Our strength is in our rocks…
Tamimi was heavily involved in violent clashes with IDF forces in the past (Photo: AFP)
"They should bear responsibility for any response coming from us, be it stabbing attacks, suicide bombings or throwing rocks. We should all do something and unite in order for our message to come through—free Palestine."
Apart from the aforementioned incident, Tamimi was also charged with offenses relating to prior clashes. On 8 December, 2017, for instance, the indictment said Tamimi participated in clashes near Nabi Salih along with other young Palestinian women.
Live footage of the events showed Tamimi receiving instruction from her mother to disrupt the soldiers' activities and she was also seen spitting and throwing rocks at soldiers.
On 26 May, 2017, meanwhile, she participated in clashes that began in Nabi Salih and approached military positions. Two police officers were wounded in the ensuing riot, while Tamimi prevented soldiers from reaching its instigators and arresting them.
The indictment also mentions an incident from 12 May, 2017, when Tamimi participated in a Nabi Salih protest, blocked the line of a fire of a soldier and accosted another by spitting on him and yelling, "Nazi terrorist murderer" and "Dog, animal, s**t, thief, child killer."
(Photo: AFP)
Tribunal: Danger Tamimi poses is clear
A short time after her arrest, the military tribunal determined the danger Tamimi posed was clear and instructed her continued detainment until her trial's conclusion.
The court explained its decision by saying, "The initiative leading to the acts, their breadth, their level of violence and the region in which they were carried out show a clear level of danger."
"The accused attested—both in statements and conduct—that her actions stemmed from the desire to promote an ideological goal. This makes it very difficult to release her. It should also be noted that her silence (during questioning) was to her detriment," the decision further stated.
