Teen Palestinian icon Ahed Tamimi, who was sentenced to eight months in an Israeli prison for hitting an IDF soldier during a violent demonstration in her village of Nabi Saleh and was hailed as a heroine upon her release last month, has now prompted angry Arab responses to a video in which she voiced support for Hezbollah.
In the video, which features Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah praising Tamimi, the young woman is seen thanking Nasrallah for his praise and for standing up to the "crimes of the occupation."
Tamimi was convicted in March after her mother livestreamed footage of her hitting IDF soldiers last December during one of the protests that had become a regular occurrence in her village at the time. The soldiers were trying to keep rioters out of the Tamimi family's home.
Tamimi pled guilty and was sentenced to eight months in prison. She was released early and generally hailed as a heroine. The morning she returned home, she declared that "resistance is continuing until the occupation is removed" and vowed to continue her struggle.
In the video message that sparked the latest controversy, the teenager speaks directly to the camera and says, "To the honorable Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, I would like to say thank you very much and happy [Eid al Adha]."
Tamimi adds in the video that Nasrallah's words strengthened her morale greatly, and "not only mine but a lot of people's."
"I represent the [Palestinian] people – I don't represent myself. I represent the people and the goal. Nasrallah spoke in support of the entire Palestinian people, not just me," Tamimi said.
Tamimi "saluted" the Hezbollah leader, "who always strengthens us [the Palestinians]. We are all with him, and we are all proud of him."
Tamimi's remarks put her supporters in the Palestinian Authority, who enjoy the backing of Sunni Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in an unpleasant position. The Sunni Arab states are staunch opponents of the Shiite axis, which includes Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Many Arab social media users vented their fury at Tamimi. One user from Saudi Arabia criticized her, saying "she herself admitted that all she did in prison was have parties, and now she's going and heaping compliments on a murderer."
Other users shared a picture of Israeli actress Gal Gadot in her role as Wonder Woman, side by side with an unflattering caricature of Tamimi, depicted as grossly overweight and wearing a similar outfit in the motif of the Palestinian flag.
One youth from the Sunni Gulf nation of Bahrain captioned the caricature: "The difference between the two is that Tamimi loves Hezbollah and had fun in prison while claiming to be oppressed."
