Sunday, July 29, 2018

Ahed Tamimi and Her Family: Israel's Ongoing PR Disaster


Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz; article contains links, videos, and additional illustrations

By trying to make an example out of Ahed Tamimi's arrest, Israel helped transform her into an anti-occupation poster child

Image from article, with caption: August 28, 2015: Palestinian women and youth scuffle with an Israeli soldier in the West Bank. Tamimi is seen on the left.

Excerpt:
Over the past eight months, anti-Israel protests from London to Washington had a new poster child. The image of Ahed Tamimi’s blue eyes staring defiantly underneath her mane of golden curls has become a symbol around which the Palestinian cause worldwide has been able to rally.

When Israel arrested and imprisoned the teenager for kicking and slapping an Israeli combat soldier in the West Bank – the footage soon went viral.

Whether it was "Free Ahed" signs held up in protest marches or her image spray-painted on the West Bank separation barrier ... her likeness has been everywhere. ...

Image from article, with caption:Sign calling Ahed Tamimi 'the REAL Wonder Woman' during a protest outside the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington D.C. this year 

[C]onsidering Israel’s focus on winning the public diplomacy [JB emphasis] war (aka hasbara), the government’s hand in elevating the status of a local celebrity into an international symbol of the Palestinian cause was a move that was doomed to backfire.

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