Israel arrests Italian graffiti artists painting Ahed Tamimi on separation wall

Israel arrests Italian graffiti artists painting Ahed Tamimi on separation wall
The two graffiti artists were detained Saturday for painting a mural of Palestinian resistance icon Ahed Tamimi, who was released from Israeli prison on Sunday.
2 min read
29 July, 2018
Italian artist Jorit Agoch paints a mural depicting jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi [Getty]

Israel arrested on Saturday two Italian graffiti artists painting a mural of Palestinian icon Ahed Tamimi on the separation fence in the occupied West Bank.

Tamimi, who is now 17, became a symbol of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when she was filmed slapping an Israeli soldier in front her house in December.

The footage of the incident went viral and the Palestinian teenager was eventually arrested and sentenced to eight months in jail by an Israeli military court.

She was released on Sunday from Israeli prison.

Tamimi, a symbol of resistance to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

The Tamimi family are from the village of Nabi Saleh, which has long been a symbol of non-violent Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Israeli police did not return a call for comment, according to Reuters.

News of the Italian artists' arrest was made on Twitter when the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) posted a video of the incident. 

The video shows armed soldiers ordering the two men, along with a Palestinian activist, to get out of a car next to the separation barrier. They are led away through an opening in the barrier. Israel's military had no immediate comment.

Palestinians have very limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, which Israel occupies. 

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

Israeli armed forces have shot and killed at least 150 Palestinians in 2018, the majority during protests in the Gaza Strip.

Agencies contributed to this report. 

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