A huge mural of Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi was painted on the West Bank security barrier in Bethlehem as part of Palestinian preparations for her release from an Israel jail.
In anticipation of her release, a visiting artist from abroad painted Tamimi's portrait on the wall that has become a focal point for Palestinian protest art.
A local activist told Reuters he was surprised by the number of foreign artists who have come to the Palestinian Territories to paint "the icon of the Palestinian people and the icon of the national resistance on this apartheid wall."
On December 15 last year, Tamimi confronted IDF soldiers outside her home in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Her mother streamed the incident live on Facebook. Troops had deployed there during a weekly Palestinian protest in the village against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, one of the most heated issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The incident caught local and global attention. For Palestinians and their supporters abroad, Tamimi has become a symbol of their national struggle. In Israel, the images of her striking the armed man sparked debate whether the officer should have struck back.
The army said the soldier "acted professionally" by showing restraint but Israeli right-wing politicians described his behavior as humiliating and demanded Tamimi, who was 16 at the time, be punished.
Tamimi's trial began in February and she faced 12 charges, including aggravated assault. In a closely followed trial in an Israeli military court, she was sentenced to eight months behind bars after a plea bargain agreement.
