RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territory – A 14-year-old Palestinian girl imprisoned for hurling rocks at cars in the West Bank has been released from an Israeli jail.
Malak al-Khatib is one of the rare female Palestinian minors to face arrest and sentencing by Israel.
The girl’s fate gripped Palestinians, who said her treatment demonstrated Israel’s excessive measures against stone-throwing youth. Israel says stone-throwing can be life threatening and is often a first step toward militancy.
Israel’s military charged al-Khatib with stone throwing and possession of a knife. Under a plea bargain, she was sentenced to two months in prison and a $1,500 fine.
Her family said Sunday she was released on Friday after a month and a half. Israeli prison spokeswoman Sivan Weitzman said she was released early to make more room in the crowded jail.
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