Teen’s controversial trial to be closed
MIDDLE EAST: The closely watched trial of a Palestinian girl who slapped and punched two Israeli soldiers opened before an Israeli military court yesterday, but the judge ordered proceedings to be held behind closed doors in a case that has drawn wide criticism of Israel for prosecuting the teenager.
Ahed Tamimi, who turned 17 in prison last month, appeared fresh and confident as she was led into a courtroom packed with journalists and foreign diplomats. She briefly gestured to relatives at the back of the room before the judge ordered everyone out except her family.
After the prosecution read the 12-count indictment, the trial was adjourned until next month.
Tamimi potentially faces years in prison if convicted of all charges, including assault and incitement, in several incidents going back to April 2016. She has been in detention since her arrest on December 19, four days after she was filmed confronting the soldiers outside her West Bank home.
Several senior Israeli officials have called for harsh punishment for Tamimi, describing her either as a terrorist, a serial troublemaker or a gullible teenager being cynically manipulated by others.
The high-profile trial of Tamimi, one of an estimated 300 Palestinian minors in Israeli jails, touches on the debate over what constitutes legitimate resistance to Israel’s rule over several million Palestinians, now in its 51st year.
Israel has framed Tamimi’s actions as purely criminal offences. Among other things, she is being accused of incitement for comments she made on the same widely watched video that captured her scuffling with the soldiers.
Tamimi’s family says she struck the soldiers in frustration after having just learned that Israeli troops had seriously wounded her 15-year-old cousin.
International human rights groups have criticised the fullthrottle prosecution of a minor. Diplomats from the European Union and several European countries attended yesterday’s hearing as observers.
The judge, Lieutenant Colonel Menachem Lieberman, said the trial would remain closed for Tamimi’s own protection. Defence lawyer Gaby Lasky accused the court of closing the hearings to prevent the world from watching.