Israeli forces have arrested Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi for inciting terror after she called for the murder of Jews.
An army spokesman confirmed to the AFP news agency that the 22-year-old was detained during a raid on her village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah.
“Ahed Tamimi was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence and terrorist activities in the town of Nabi Salih,” the IDF spokesman said. “Tamimi was transferred to Israeli security forces for further questioning.”
The arrest comes after Tamimi last week said that Palestinians will “slaughter” the Jews of the West Bank from Hebron to Jenin.
“Our message to the flocks of settlers, we are waiting for you in all the cities of the West Bank. From Hebron to Jenin, we will slaughter you, and you will say that what Hitler did to you is a joke,” said Tamimi in an Instagram post.
“We will drink your blood and eat your skull. Come on, we’re waiting for you,” the post continued.
Tamimi’s account, which had almost 100,000 followers, subsequently disappeared from Instagram. It was not clear whether the account was deactivated or suspended.
Tamimi’s threat comes as Israel's war on Hamas enters its second month after Hamas death squads invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people, wounding thousands more and taking more than 230 people back to the Gaza Strip as hostages.
Israel’s controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the IDF and other security forces for the arrest, posting a picture of her being arrested to his social media accounts.
Tamimi first gained notoriety after assaulting an Israeli soldier during riots in 2012.
So Ahed Tamimi has now been arrested.
— David Collier (@mishtal) November 6, 2023
Last week she said:
"We will slaughter you and we'll drink your blood and eat your skulls"
The anti-Israel movement is genocidal. Anyone think this is not an arrestable offence?
Hey @amnesty - she's your poster child - nothing to say?
Nabi Saleh has long been a hotbed of violent anti-Israel protests, with many of Tamimi’s family members having been involved in clashes with Israeli forces. One cousin, Ahlam Tamimi, has admitted to masterminding a suicide bombing that killed 16 people.
In 2018, an Israeli military court sentenced Tamimi to eight months in jail on assault charges. According to her lawyer, Tamimi agreed to a plea deal in order to avoid a more serious indictment that could have landed her in prison for years.
The 2018 conviction thrust Tamimi into international fame, with CNN, Vogue, BBC News, Al Jazeera and other media outlets featuring her story.
כל הכבוד לכוחות צה"ל שעצרו הלילה את המחבלת ו"פעילת זכויות האדם" עהד תמימי מנבי סאלח שהורשעה בעבר בתקיפת חיילי צה"ל ומאז פרוץ המלחמה מביעה הזדהות ותמיכה בחיות האדם הנאצים ברשתות החברתיות. אפס סובלנות עם מחבלים ועם תומכי טרור! רק ככה! pic.twitter.com/YeozAiUxvd
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) November 6, 2023
Upon being released from prison, Tamimi continued to incite hatred and violence against the Jewish state. For example, in March 2019, she took to Instagram to call for the murder of then-Likud Party lawmaker Yehudah Glick.
“My soul is disgusted when I realize that he remains alive, better that he was dead. I hate him. Yehuda Glick is the most disgusting person on earth. It is permissible [according to Islam] to kill him,” wrote Tamimi.
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