Italians who painted portrait of Palestinian teen on Israel’s separation wall arrested

Italian artist Jorit Agoch (L) paints a mural depicting jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi next to another artist on Israel’s controversial separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on July 25,2018. Tamimi, was charged earlier this year after a viral video showed her hitting two soldiers in the occupied West Bank. (AFP/Musa Al-Shaer)

Italian artist Jorit Agoch paints a mural depicting jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi on Israel’s controversial separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on July 25,2018. Tamimi, was charged earlier this year after a viral video showed her hitting two soldiers in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)

Tourists walk by a mural painted by Italian artist Jorit Agoch, depicting jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi on Israel’s controversial separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on July 25,2018. Tamimi, was charged earlier this year after a viral video showed her hitting two soldiers in the occupied West Bank. (AFP/Musa Al-Shaer)

Italian artist Jorit Agoch paints a mural depicting jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi on Israel’s controversial separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on July 25,2018. Tamimi, was charged earlier this year after a viral video showed her hitting two soldiers in the occupied West Bank. (AFP/Musa Al-Shaer)

• Ahed Tamimi, 17, was released from prison Sunday after an eight-month sentence
• The three artists were arrested when they tried to escape in a car

JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have arrested two Italians for drawing a giant mural of a Palestinian teenager seen as a symbol of resistance on the separation wall in the occupied West Bank, police said.
The roughly four-meter (13 foot) image near Bethlehem in the West Bank depicts Ahed Tamimi, 17, who was released from prison Sunday after an eight-month sentence for slapping two Israeli soldiers, an episode captured on video.
On Saturday, Israeli border police arrested two Italians and a Palestinian “on suspicion of damaging and vandalising the security fence in the Bethlehem area,” a statement said.
The three, whose faces were masked, “illegally drew on the wall, and when border policemen took action to arrest them, they tried to escape in their car, which was stopped by the forces,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, a man drawing the mural had identified himself as Italian street artist Jorit Agoch.
A message was posted to a Facebook page under his name saying he had been arrested and pleading for help.
On Sunday morning the three were still being held by Israeli forces.
At the same time, Tamimi and her mother Nariman were taken from the Sharon prison inside Israel to their home village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank after serving their sentences.
Palestinians see Tamimi as a symbol of resistance to Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
For Israelis, Tamimi is being used by her activist family as a pawn in staged provocations.
The separation wall cutting the West Bank off from Israel is filled with graffiti in support of the Palestinian cause.
Secretive British street artist Banksy is among those who have painted on the wall.