IDF, Tamimi family battle over injury to Ahed Tamimi's cousin
On the same day Ahed Tamimi was videoed slapping IDF soldiers, her 15-year-old cousin Mohammad suffered a serious head injury; while COGAT Mordechai initially claimed the injury was sustained from a bicycle fall, his family maintained he was hit with a rubber bullet.
The Tamimi family has been embroiled in a new kind of battle with the IDF—that of differing accounts surrounding what truly led to the injury of Palestinian teen provocateur Ahed Tamimi's cousin, 15-year-old Mohammad Tamimi.
On Friday, December 15, 2017—the same day Ahed Tamimi was videotaped accosting IDF soldiers during Nabi Salih protests—her cousin Mohammad was also wounded.
Weekly protests were being held in the village with clashes between locals and IDF forces. Palestinians claim that before the incident involving Ahed Tamimi, her younger cousin was wounded in the head by an Israeli soldier's rubber bullet.
Tamimi was taken to a clinic in the village of Beit Rima and then to a Ramallah hospital, where a portion of his skull was removed, leaving his head deformed.
Earlier this week, Mohammad Tamimi was arrested again along with several other Nabi Salih residents. After his arrest, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai published a Facebook post titled, "What is the truth regarding Mohammad Tamimi?"
Mordechai's post said that Tamimi confessed to police and District Coordination and Liaison personnel that he was injured this past December while falling off his bicycle, whose handlebars then hit him in the head.
"The Palestinian culture of lies and incitement does not stop among the Tamimi family's young and old alike," COGAT wrote. A short time later, Tamimi was released from custody and returned to his home.
Tamimi's family, however, maintained after his release and following Mordechai's post that the young man was injured by an IDF rubber bullet, in contravention of Mordechai's claims. Fadel, Tamimi's father, added that his son's confession was extracted through intimidation and threats while he was incarcerated.
Fadel Tamimi claimed that his son was afraid during his time in detention and therefore lied and claimed that he was injured as a result of a fall off his bike. His father further added that the medical report on his son's injury was clear and said that he was hit in the head by a rubber bullet.
Tamimi also noted his son received medical attention at the Beilinson Hospital at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva.
After the unequivocal denials of the Tamimi family and Mohammad Tamimi's release, COGAT Mordechai published an additional post—this time much more subdued and less decisive—about the circumstances leading up to Tamimi's injury.
Mordechai stressed that the first post he had published relied on a conversation Tamimi had had with a Civil Administration officer in which he reiterated several times that his head injury was caused by a fall from his electric bike.
COGAT noted that the young man's testimony was recorded and documented, and then served as basis for his first post on the matter. Mordechai also wished to point out that the first post also presented two accounts—that of Mohammad Tamimi himself, who had claimed he fell off his bicycle, and that of his father, who said he was hit by a rubber bullet.
