Ahed Tamimi under Fire by Saudis for Praising Lebanese Hezbollah Leader

Rasa - Teenage Palestinian icon Ahed Tamimi is infuriating pro-Saudi critics after she heaped praise on Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

News ID: 439200

Date: 25 August 2018 - 20:43

RNA - Tamimi was imprisoned by Israeli authorities in December after she was caught on video slapping an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier who entered her family's property during a protest against illegal settlements near the residence in the occupied West Bank town of Nabi Saleh, Sputnik reported.

Tamimi confronted the soldier after the IDF had shot her 15-year-old cousin from close range in the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet. She was sentenced to eight months in prison for the act and released in late July.

Nasrallah called the 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi "brave and courageous" in February.

"This is a girl who confronts the Israeli soldiers and slaps them," he said.

"His words boosted our morale — not just my morale, but the morale of many people, because I represent the people. I'm not just representing myself, but the people and the cause," Tamimi said on Thursday.

She added that she wanted to tell Nasrallah that "he always makes us grow stronger."

"We all support him and are proud of him," she added.

Tamimi has since been criticized online by opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and pro-Saudi accounts for her endorsement of the Hezbollah leader and her claim that he represents Palestinians; critics have claimed that she's "scum" and that her supporters deserve "spit in the face."

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