Dubai: The Irish artist who created the iconic 1968 red-and-black poster of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara has now turned his attention to Ahed Tamimi. The 17-year-old Palestinian protester went on trial behind closed doors in the Israeli occupation regime’s military court last Tuesday for slapping and punching two Israeli occupation soldiers.
‘There is a real Wonder Woman’ is the title of the new painting from Jim Fitzpatrick. In an interview to Newsweek, he said: “Ahed Tamimi, to me, signifies nobility in the face of oppression. This is a kid, a child. When I was 15, I think I would have been petrified. Wherever she’s getting her courage from, there’s a resonance of it echoing across the world. I’m just a part of it. There are organisations doing more than I could do, but I do think the pen — in my case, the brush — is mightier than the sword.”
He also said the title of his latest painting was directed at the actress Gal Gadot, the former Israeli regime soldier-turned Hollywood star who was the main star of the latest “Wonder Woman” movie. Gadot has publicly supported the Israeli regime’s oppression against the Palestinian people. “That’s deliberate … I think: Hold on, there is a Wonder Woman, and it’s this kid,” the artist told Newsweek.
“I’ve been collecting comic books all my life. I’ve been a guest at San Diego Comic Con. I would not say anybody in that [comic book] community has an idea that she was an ...[Israeli occupation] soldier and supports the persecution of Palestinians as young as Ahed Tamimi. I think they’d be shocked if they knew that.”
Last week saw the opening of the high-profile case against the teen who is seen by many as a Joan of Arc-like heroine. The Israeli regime’s hard-charging prosecution of Tamimi, recognisable by her unruly mane of curly hair, has drawn international attention and criticism. Underlying the case are clashing narratives about Israel’s half-century of occupation, the extent of permissible Palestinian resistance to it and the battle for global public opinion.
Tamimi, who turned 17 in prison last month, was led into a courtroom packed with journalists, several European diplomats and members of her family.
