Che Guevara artist portrays Ahed Tamimi as superhero and 'the real Wonder Woman'

Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick, famous for his iconic 1967 Che Guevara painting, has chosen yet another important face to shed light on.

Imprisoned Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, who is widely seen as a symbol of resistance against the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), is the latest subject of his artwork.

With a painting titled "Real Wonder Woman", Fitzpatrick said he was struck by Ahed's bravery in standing up against Israeli soldiers when he first learned about her two years ago.

Fitzpatrick described his painting as not only a political statement but more of an effort to raise awareness about Ahed's situation and the injustice that Palestinian kids and teens are subjected to on a daily basis. 

The Irish artist believes he's on a mission to save Ahed's life, and in an interview with AJ+, he went on to call for a global movement to stop the prosecution of Palestinian children. 

His new painting is published on his website and is copyright-free for anyone to download and use. With that in mind, he hopes the painting will go viral and more people will find out about Tamimi's situation.

In the painting, Tamimi is depicted holding the Palestinian flag with a defiant look on her face. 

The artist gave the painting the title "Real Wonder Woman" in a reference to DC Comic's iconic female character "The Wonder Women", portrayed in films by Gal Gadot, a former Israeli soldier that supports the occupation.

"This girl is memorable, her face is memorable, she seems a courageous, dignified girl - she captured my imagination. And I think she’s capturing the imagination of the world. She symbolizes resistance. She slapped that soldier after her cousin had been hurt. Are these acts of violence? Hardly. It’s like being hit by a rabbit," Jim Fitzpatrick said, according to Newsweek.

On December 19, 2017, the-then 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi was arrested in a raid on her family's home in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. Her arrest came after a video of her slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers, who had forced their way into her family's yard, went viral online. 

The tension happened soon after her 15-year-old cousin, Mohammad Tamimi, was shot in the face with a rubber bullet. Mohammad survived the shooting after severe internal bleeding and a 72-hours medically induced coma.

Ever since the widely-reported incident, Tamimi has been on trial at an Israeli military court in the West Bank. She has been indicted on 12 charges, including incitement to violence and assaulting Israeli security forces. 

Last Tuesday, due to the international attention her arrest and subsequent trials have gained, the court ordered all observers - except her family - out of the hearing, according to The Independent. 

Tamimi's trial was adjourned to March 11 while she remains detained facing up to 10 years of imprisonment.

Despite the international pressure and widespread criticism against Israel, prosecutions of minors like Tamimi and numerous other similar cases continue. 

More than 300 Palestinian minors are currently in Israeli jails, 60 percent of which face physical and psychological torture according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club (PPC).