Israel authorities are expelling Sunday two Italian graffiti artists who were painting a mural of a jailed Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, 17, on the Israeli separation barrier in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli Border Police.
Ahed Tamimi released earlier on the same day after she was sent to prison for assault after being filmed kicking and slapping an Israeli soldier late last year when she was just 16.
She became a heroine to Palestinians after the December 15 incident outside her home in the village of Nabi Saleh was streamed live on Facebook by her mother and went viral.
The 13-foot mural appeared on the separation wall in Bethlehem just days before the 17-year-old activist is due to be released.
It's the creation of Italian street artist Agostino Chirwin, also known as 'Jorit Agoch,' who has a reputation for hyper-realistic murals of activists, politicians and other campaigners. Chirwin obscured his identity while painting the mural by keeping a black cloth wrapped around his head.
Both artists were arrested on Saturday, questioned, and transferred to the Interior Ministry, which revoked their tourist visa and ordered them to leave the country within 72 hours, reported Haaretz.
On Thursday, Israeli occupation forces barred residents from entering and exiting Nabi Saleh, where Ahed lives with her family, ahead of her scheduled release.