Trial Delayed for Palestinian Teen in Viral 'Slap Video'

The start of a military trial against a Palestinian teenager charged after a viral video showed her slapping two Israeli soldiers has been delayed until February 6, her lawyer said Tuesday, extending her time in preventive detention.

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The trial of Ahed Tamimi, 16, had been due to begin on Wednesday. Her mother Nariman will also go on trial on February 6, their lawyer Gaby Lasky told AFP.

The Israeli military confirmed the date had been changed to February 6, adding it was postponed at Lasky's request.

Both Ahed Tamimi and her mother have been ordered to be held in custody throughout their trial.

Ahed Tamimi's cousin Nour Tamimi, 20, has also been charged but was freed on bail on January 5. Her next court appearance has been set for February 12, Lasky said.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticised Israeli authorities' actions in the case, while the European Union has expressed concern over Israel's detention of minors, including Ahed Tamimi.

Ahed Tamimi was arrested after being filmed confronting an Israeli officer and a soldier outside her home in a village in the occupied West Bank on Dec. 15. The altercation took place the day after Tamimi's 15-year-old cousin was hit in the head by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli soldier.

A video of the encounter shows Tamimi slapping an officer and punching a soldier next to him in the face. Both men, who were also kicked by the teenager, wore helmets and combat gear and tried to deflect her blows, but remained largely passive.

The soldiers had been deployed during a weekly Palestinian protest in the village against Israeli policy on settlements in the West Bank.

Charges filed on Jan. 1 against Tamimi include aggravated assault, rock-throwing, incitement and participation in "violent riots." She is facing up to 12 years in prison. No plea was entered at the hearing.

Calling for Tamimi's immediate release, Amnesty International said on Monday that nothing Tamimi had done to the armed soldiers wearing protective gear "can justify the continuing detention of a 16-year-old girl."

Tamimi, whose father is a prominent Palestinian activist, first made headlines two years ago when she was pictured biting a soldier who was trying to arrest her younger brother.

The Israeli occupation has been actively persecuting the Tamimis for decades over their weekly protests against the theft of their lands in favor of the illegal Jewish settlement of Halamish near their villages.