Teen brother of Ahed Tamimi jailed for stone-throwing

JERUSALEM: The brother of a teenager who became a symbol of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after slapping two soldiers has been sentenced to jail for throwing stones at a police officer, the army said Tuesday.

Waed Tamimi, the brother of Ahed Tamimi, confessed to his role in a March 2017 "violent riot" in which an Israeli police officer was wounded by stones thrown by Palestinians at his vehicle, according to a military court ruling from Monday.

Since he had already received a suspended sentence for stoning Israeli security forces in 2016, he was handed a 14-month sentence for the 2017 incident as part of a plea bargain, the court document said.

Asked by the court if he had anything to say, the 22-year-old said: "I have nothing to add. There will be no third time," according to the ruling, which was published by the army on Tuesday. The incident took place in Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, where the Tamimi family lives.

Tamimi's sister, Ahed, was released from prison last month after an eight-month sentence for hitting and kicking two Israeli soldiers in front of her house in the occupied West Bank. In an interview the day after her release, the now 17-year-old told AFP that she understood she had become a "symbol" of the Palestinian cause.

Video of that incident went viral, leading to praise and support from Palestinians but scorn from Israelis who accused her activist family of using her in staged provocations. Rights groups harshly criticised Israel for the length of Ahed Tamimi's sentence.