Israel releases Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi, jailed for slapping soldiers
Tamimi, 17, and her mother Nariman arrived in their village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, where they were met by crowds of supporters and journalists.
"The resistance continues until the fall of the occupation, and of course the (female) prisoners in jail are all strong," Ahed Tamimi said, her voice barely audible above the crowd.
"I thank everyone who supported me in this sentence and supports all the prisoners."
Her father Bassem put his arms around Ahed and her mother as they walked together along the road, the crowd chanting "we want to live in freedom".
Tamimi later visited the tomb of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and laid flowers there, before meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Abbas "praised Ahed and described her as a model of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, independence and statehood," according to an official statement.
"He stressed that non-violent resistance which Ahed embodies has proven to be an ideal and vital weapon in facing the repression of the Israeli occupation."
Israeli authorities appeared keen to avoid media coverage of the release as much as possible, and conflicting information had meant supporters and journalists scrambled to arrive on time at the correct location.
Tamimi and her mother had been driven early on Sunday from Israel´s Sharon prison into the occupied West Bank, authorities said.
But the location of the checkpoint where they were to cross into the territory was changed three times before it was finally announced they were being taken to a crossing at Rantis, about an hour´s drive from the initial location.
Family members and supporters gathered at the checkpoint to greet them, but the military vehicles driving them did not stop, instead continuing towards Nabi Saleh.
There had been slight tension at the checkpoint before Tamimi´s arrival as a few men with Israeli flags approached supporters holding Palestinian flags. Words were exchanged but there was no violence.
In a sign of the sensitivity of the case, Israeli authorities on Saturday arrested two Italians and a Palestinian for painting Tamimi´s now-familiar image on the Israeli separation wall cutting off the West Bank.
Both Tamimi and her mother were sentenced to eight months in an Israeli military court following a plea deal over the December incident, which the family said took place in their garden in Nabi Saleh.
They were released some three weeks early, a common practice by Israeli authorities due to overcrowded prisons, Tamimi´s lawyer Gaby Lasky said.
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