WORLD : Israel Frees Palestinian-American After U.S. Asks Reason for Arrest

Israel released a Palestinian-American woman today after the United States asked Israel to explain her arrest three days ago in the occupied West Bank.

Najwa Salem, 28, from Milwaukee, Wis., returned to her father-in-law’s house in Beitin, a village near Ramallah, after charges against her were dropped.

Israeli border police arrested Salem after they saw her 3-year-old daughter raise her fingers in a V-sign, a symbol of Palestinian victory in the 19-month anti-Israel uprising.

Both Salem and her lawyer, Ibrahim Alayan, said they believe she was released from Jerusalem’s Russian Compound police lock-up because of pressure from American officials. Police had told her she would be detained until Aug. 3.