Hebron, Palestinian Territories // Israel freed 12-year-old Palestinian Dima Al Wawi from prison on Sunday, more than two months after jailing her for allegedly attempting a stabbing attack.
Dima was handed over to Palestinian authorities at the Tulkarem crossing point into the northern West Bank.
She then travelled to her family home near Hebron in the south of the Palestinian territory, where she was greeted by the city’s governor and dozens of well-wishers with hugs, tears, songs, flags and speeches.
“She is the youngest Palestinian girl ever imprisoned,” her lawyer Tariq Barghouth said.
Mr Barghouth said Dima’s defence team had asked the military court for her early release and it agreed.
Dima was arrested, wearing her school uniform, on February 9 at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and found to be carrying a knife.
Under a plea bargain with Israeli military prosecutors, she pleaded guilty to attempted murder and possession of a knife and was sentenced to four months in an Israeli prison and a further six-week suspended sentence.
A wave of Palestinian knife, gun or car-ramming attacks has left 28 Israelis dead since last October, while 201 Palestinians have been killed over the same period, most of them by Israeli security forces while allegedly carrying out attacks.
According to Israeli military law, minors from age 12 can be charged, uniquely in the world according to United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.
Israel currently holds about 450 Palestinian minors, about 100 of whom are under 16.
* Agence France-Presse
