Khalida Jarrar, one of the best-known figures of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was released on Sunday after serving a two-year sentence in an Israeli prison.
The 58-year-old Palestinian MP was arrested in October 2019 by Israeli forces at her home in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, during an operation targeting various Palestinian figures.
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This operation was carried out in the wake of the death of a 17-year-old Israeli woman, killed in an attack in the occupied West Bank attributed by the Israeli army to the PFLP, a Marxist movement considered "
terrorist
" by Israel, the States United and the European Union. Accused of participating in PFLP activities, Khalida Jarrar was sentenced last March to two years in prison by an Israeli military court after pleading guilty in the context of a sentence negotiation. Including the time spent in custody before his sentence, his release was scheduled for these days.
Immediately after being released from prison and transferred to Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, Khalida Jarrar visited the grave of her daughter Suha, a Palestinian activist who died suddenly in July at the age of 31.
After her daughter's death, Palestinian NGOs asked Israel to temporarily release the mother to allow her to attend the funeral, but this request was rejected.
In a statement, the PFLP welcomed the release of Khalida Jarrar, described as "
comrade in combat embodying the most wonderful example of patience and tenacity
".