The demonstrations often turn into clashes with Israeli forces. Events are filmed and then disseminated on social media making Ahed and her family online celebrities.

To be sure, Ahed has been feted for several years. Her introduction to the world stage came in 2012 when a photograph of her with a clenched fist, staring down an Israeli soldier, went viral. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted her in Turkey where she received an award for courage. Her star would continue to rise in 2015 when a video showed her biting and hitting a masked Israeli soldier who had grabbed her 12-year-old brother.

Nariman Tamimi — Ahed’s mother — also faces charges of incitement.

Ahed’s lawyer, Gabi Laski, says the case has been blown out of proportion. The military court “exaggerated the indictment by looking into, and judging her on, incidents that happened in previous years,” Laski told CNN. “This doesn’t show the other side. [It is] as if her behavior took place in [a] sterile environment without taking into consideration the occupation.”

“My pain was not confined to the child Tamimi, who is being held in Israeli jails, but to all her generation, who are considered the most courageous generation among the Palestinians, who offer a model of sacrifice and redemption,” Barghouti’s letter said.

If convicted, Ahed could face years in prison. Prominent Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti says her detention will not be in vain.

“Ahed Tamimi exemplifies the spirit of non-violent resistance that is growing in the Palestinian territories because of the occupation,” Mustafa Barghouti told CNN. “If they put her in jail for a long time, it’ll destroy her childhood but it will send a very powerful message to Palestinians and hurt Israel’s image internationally.”