Israel Detains Artists while Drawing Mural of 17-year-old Palestinian Icon on Wall in West Bank

Published July 30th, 2018 - 08:34 GMT
2 Italian graffiti artists arrested cause were painting a mural of the jailed Tamimi (Twitter)
2 Italian graffiti artists arrested cause were painting a mural of the jailed Tamimi (Twitter)

Israeli forces detained three artists while they were drawing a giant mural of a 17-year-old Palestinian icon, seen as a symbol of resistance to the Israeli occupation, on the separation wall in the occupied West Bank.

The roughly four-meter image on the separation wall in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem depicts Ahed al-Tamimi, who was released from an Israeli prison on Sunday after eight months of imprisonment.

According to local sources, Israeli forces detained two Italians and a Palestinian, who painted the giant mural of Ahed.

Sources added that one of the Italian artists later identified himself as Agostino Chirwin. He is also known as Jorit Agoch, who has a reputation for hyper realistic murals of activists, politicians and other campaigners.

 

 

The identity of the second Italian artist and the Palestinian artist have not yet been released.

A Ma'an reporter said that Israeli forces confiscated painting equipment belonging to the three artists and were immediately taken through the gate of the separation wall.

A spokesperson for the Israeli border police confirmed the detentions and said that any paintings on the separation wall is illegal.

 

This article has been adapted from its original source.