Abbas praises Ahed’s struggle for Palestine’s freedom

CAIRO – 29 July 2018: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that activist Ahed al-Tamimi has set an example for Palestinians’ struggle to achieve freedom and establish an independent Palestinian state.

Abbas received Ahed and her mother Nariman in the Palestinian presidential headquarters in Ramallah, after they were released on Sunday from Israel’s Sharon prison, according to the Palestinian News Agency WAFA. Ahed spent more than 7 months in prison over hitting an Israeli soldier.

The Palestinian president said that the model for peaceful popular resistance set by Ahed, Nabi Saleh village and all Palestinian villages and cities proves to the world that our people will continue to decisively defend their land.

He added that this kind of resistance perfectly confronts the Israeli occupation’s arrogance and exposes its savagery to the whole world.

The Palestinian 17-year old iconic activist lauded Abbas’s efforts in following up on her situation. She also praised his full support to her family and her resistance against the occupation which does not respect the international laws, according to WAFA.

Fatah deputy Chairman Mahmoud al-Aloul and Fatah Movement Central Committee member Minister Hussein al-Sheikh attended the meeting. Abbas is the leader of the Fatah ruling faction.


Tamimi was arrested last December after appearing in a video along with her mother and cousin, slapping and shoving two Israeli soldiers outside their home in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank.

The soldiers had taken up positions next to the house amid protests in the village against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Mariam Barghouti, a Palestinian activist close to the Tamimi family and Ahed’s mother, Nariman, confirmed to AFP that the request for a public trial had been rejected.

Ahed faced 12 charges, including aggravated assault. In March, she was sentenced to serve eight months in jail.

In 2012, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bestowed a medal on Ahed, as she appeared in a video shouting angrily at Israeli soldiers following the arrest of her brother Waad al-Tamimi.

The Israeli forces arrested Ahed, Mohammed and Waad several times, while Bassim and Nariman were arrested nine and five times, respectively, according to media sources.

Additional reporting by Amr Mohamed Kandil