15 January 2018•Update: 16 January 2018
By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine
An Israeli court on Monday extended the detention of Ahed al-Tamimi, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl detained last month, by 48 hours “pending further investigation”.
It is the fourth time for al-Tamimi’s detention to be extended since her arrest by Israeli authorities almost one month ago.
Israel’s Ofer military court, located west of the West Bank city of Ramallah, extended the teen’s detention to Jan. 17 at the request of military prosecutors.
Along with members of her family, al-Tamimi’s Monday court session was attended by several foreign diplomats and human rights activists.
At one point during the court session, al-Tamimi -- in handcuffs and leg shackles -- told her father, Bassem, who was also in attendance, “I’m fine.”
Israeli forces first detained al-Tamimi on Dec. 19 during an overnight raid carried out in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.
Both her mother and cousin were arrested shortly afterward.
It was not the teen’s first brush with the Israeli authorities.
In 2012, Istanbul’s Basaksehir Municipality granted her the prestigious Hanzala Courage Award for defying Israeli soldiers who had just arrested her brother.
At the time, Turkish Prime Minister (now president) Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with al-Tamimi personally to convey his admiration for her bravery.
The girl’s father, mother and brothers have also all been repeatedly arrested for their fierce -- and often vocal -- opposition to Israel’s decades-long occupation.
The Palestinian territories have remained tense since Dec. 6, when U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, drawing condemnation and protest from across the Arab and Muslim world.
Since then, at least 17 Palestinians have been martyred in clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
