Palestinian girl praised as hero after confronting Israeli soldiers

NEBI SALEH, WEST BANK >> The curly haired Palestinian teenager is seen walking up to two Israeli soldiers standing near the entrance of her house, and she can be heard telling them to leave. She then pushes and kicks both soldiers who casually fend off the blows.

Then she slaps one soldier hard in the face.

Now, the 16-year-old girl from the village of Nebi Saleh is being celebrated by Palestinians as a hero and symbol of a new generation after confronting the two soldiers in a melee Friday caught on a video that has been widely watched.

In Israel, the soldiers’ decision not to react to the seeming provocation by Ahed Tamimi, a blond firebrand, has stirred a debate about deterrence and drawn allegations that the army was humiliated.

Three days after the confrontation, amid an uproar in Israel, Tamimi was arrested at her home in a predawn raid and faces charges of attacking soldiers.

She was led in leg shackles to an Israeli military courtroom where a judge reserved a decision on whether to keep her without bail. He ordered her held for five more days, a decision that was appealed by her defense lawyer.

The sharply conflicting Palestinian and Israeli interpretations of the widely viewed video clip highlight the deep rift between the two societies, at a time of heightened tension over the status of contested Jerusalem, the centerpiece of the long-running conflict.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, setting off widespread protests by Palestinians who seek the city’s Israeli-annexed eastern sector as a capital.

Trump said his statement did not define the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, but his move was seen by Palestinians as a sign of pro-Israel bias. In response, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said the U.S. can no longer be a Mideast mediator.

Nebi Saleh is a village of about 600 people, most of them members of Tamimi’s extended family. For eight years, villagers along with Israeli and foreign activists have protested weekly against Israeli policies in the West Bank.

The Israeli military said Friday’s protest turned violent, with about 200 Palestinians throwing stones at soldiers.