Palestinian Activist, Ahed Tamimi, Finally Released from Israeli Prison

Palestinian protest icon, Ahed Tamimi, has been released from an Israeli prison, after spending months behind bars.  As Tamimi and her mother, Nariman, arrived in their village of Nabi Saleh they were greeted with crowds of supporters cheering them on with banners and flags.

Ahed had spent the past 8 months in an Israeli prison, charged with pushing and slapping Israeli soldiers after they refused to leave her property. Hours before, her 15-year old cousin, Mohammad, was shot in the head with a rubber bullet by Israeli soldiers; causing so much damage that part of his skull had to be removed.

The footage of Ahed’s incident was filmed and posted on her mother’s Facebook, going viral soon after. Almost overnight Ahed Tamimi was hailed as a symbol of resistance to Israeli occupation of Palestinian land; however was viewed by Israel as a threat to the military.

Israeli Education Minister, Naftali Bennet, had said that he hoped to see her in jail for the rest of her life.

However, upon her arrest, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the United Nations and countless other human rights groups protested alongside human rights advocates all around the world for her immediate release.

Eight months later and Ahed has stated that “the resistance continues until the occupation is removed,” and gave thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who supported her case.

Ahed’s case has highlighted the detention of Palestinian children by Israel, which has long been condemned by human rights organisations. Currently, more than 300 minors are being held in Israeli prisons.