Ahed Tamimi’s Trial Will Be Closed to Public, Says Israeli Military Judge

Tamini, who was arrested on December 19 last year for slapping an Israeli soldier in her West Bank village of Nebi Saleh, quickly became an iconic symbol of Palestinian resistance, with the video of the incident being shared by thousands of users on various social media platforms.

“Explaining his decision, Judge Gilad Peretz wrote that he did not feel that he had the authority to overrule the court’s original decision on February 13,” The Times of Israel reported, adding the judge’s opinion that holding the teenage activist’s trial behind closed doors “is in the best interest of the minor.”

The judge is said to be following the traditional rules of Israel’s juvenile courts, where, unless in ‘exceptional cases’, trials are generally held behind closed doors and in the absence of a probable public influence.

But while Tamimi has been celebrated around the globe as an icon of resistance to ‘colonial occupation’ and injustice, Israeli authorities have incriminated her actions and charged her with dozens of criminal offenses, including “aggravated assault charges.” 

The Israeli authorities have also accused Ahed’s supportive family members, especially her mother Nariman Tamimi—who has described her daughter as a freedom fighter— of using their daughter as a “pawn” at the service of the pro-Palestine front.

“Public exposure is the only defense at the disposal of Ahed, and it is clear that without it, in a secret trial, she can’t receive a fair trial,” said the teenager’s attorney Gaby Lasky, lambasting the fact that despite numerous appeals by herself and groups of human rights activists, the Israeli authorities are still set to continue the proceedings “in the dark.” 

Ahed’s attorney also told the press that both the minor and her parents wanted the trail to be open to the public.