There is, sadly, nothing unusual in Ahed Al Tamimi's story. Like most Palestinian children, the 16-year-old has grown up witnessing unbearable tragedies, inflicted by the illegal occupation of her homeland, that weigh particularly heavily on young shoulders. At 12, her mother's cousin was killed while protesting. At 13, she witnessed her uncle being killed by Israeli soldiers. And last Friday, her 14-year-old cousin Mohammed was shot in the face by an Israeli soldier. Ahed's refusal to be subdued has turned her into an icon of Palestinian resistance – and an object of Israeli vitriol and hatred. In apparent retaliation for a viral video in which she was filmed slapping armed Israeli soldiers during a protest against the occupation, her home was raided a week ago and the teenager was taken into custody. Her mother and cousin were arrested a few days later.
On Sunday, she was hauled before a military court, which extended her detention and refused to grant her bail. Detaining her has become, in the words of Israel's culture minister, a public statement to salvage "the honour of the military and the state of Israel". Ahed, whose West Bank village of Nabi Saleh has been defending attempts by settlers to take control of their natural spring, has been charged with "incitement and harming the security of the area". If anyone is guilty of these charges, it is the state of Israel. It is the Israeli occupation that is provoking and inciting violence and it is Israel that has harmed, and is harming, the security of the area with its aggression.
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Israel arrests Palestinian teenager after video of her pushing soldiers goes viral
Court extends detention for Palestinian teenager who confronted soldiers
Much remains unresolved in the Middle East as we bid farewell to 2017
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There is no symmetry of power between the Palestinians and their Israeli controllers; the former are overwhelmingly characterised by bravery such as Ahed's in the face of a brutal occupation while the latter have become so addicted to violence that they refuse to spare even children. There are at least 300 underage detainees currently being held in Israeli prisons, a despicable state of affairs, even for a military aggressor. Yet Israel's education minister Naftali Bennett is probably not alone in believing that Ahed "should spend her life in prison". Tellingly, the right-wing Israeli singer Yoav Eliasi told his fans that Ahed has "castrated" the Israeli army. It says much about a nation that its defence force, which it boasts is the best in the world, can be brought to its knees by a 16-year-old girl.
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THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
