How a teenage girl became a Palestinian hero & a headache for Tel Aviv
The Palestinian resistance movement has long opposed Israel’s occupation and a little over a year ago; it found a new and unlikely poster child in a blue-eyed girl with a mane of golden curls. 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi achieved international fame after a video of her slapping an IDF serviceman went viral and landed her in an Israeli prison for eight months (during which she turned 17).
Related: Who is Ahed Tamimi?
At that tender age, the feisty teenager shook her fist, bit, punched and kicked soldiers twice her size, earning herself the nickname, ‘Shirley Temper’ in pro-Israeli circles. Fellow Palestinians lauded Ahed's brave stand, but she's seen very differently in Israel. Some have accused the teenager and her well-known activist family of being ‘Pallywood’ stars, seeking only to provoke IDF soldiers on camera in systematic attempts to discredit Israel.
RT America correspondent, Anya Parampil visited Nabi Saleh, Ahed’s native village, to learn more about the teen activist and the Tamimi family. She met her parents and relatives, who shared their thoughts on why Ahed had become the focus of hatred for some and a heroic icon for others. Anya also heard from Israeli politician, Oren Hazan, who maintains that Tamimi doesn’t deserve so much public attention.