Israeli court refuses bail for jailed Palestinian teen
16-year-old Ahed al-Tamimi – along with her mother – was arrested last week in Israeli-occupied West Bank
An Israeli court has declined a lawyer’s request for the release on bail of Ahed al-Tamimi, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl detained last week by the Israeli authorities.
On Sunday, Israel’s Ofer Court, located near the West Bank city of Ramallah, turned down a request by Ahed's lawyer for her release on bail, Bassem al-Tamimi, the girl’s father, told Anadolu Agency.
According to al-Tamimi, Ahed, her mother Nariman, and her cousin Nour are all slated to appear in court on Monday where they will face charges of participating in what Israeli officials have described as “violent riots” and resisting Israeli security forces.
Last Tuesday, Israeli forces detained Ahed during an overnight raid in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Her mother was arrested shortly afterward.
It is not Ahed’s first run-in with the Israeli authorities. In 2012, Istanbul’s Basaksehir Municipality awarded her with the Hanzala Courage Award for defying Israeli soldiers who had just arrested her brother.
At the time, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (now president) met with the Palestinian girl personally to convey his admiration for her bravery.
Ahed’s father, mother and brothers have all been repeatedly arrested by the authorities for their fierce opposition to Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land.
On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, drawing condemnation from across the Arab and Muslim world and sparking angry protests across the Palestinian territories.
Since then, 15 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- in clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
