Ouda Tarabin – coming home?
Another Israel-Egypt swap in works?
Bedouin Israeli in Egypt prison for 11 years to be freed next month in exchange for 'political prisoners,' Kuwaiti paper says
Three prisoner swaps in one month? Bedouin Israeli Ouda Tarabin, who has been imprisoned in Egypt
for 11 years now, will be returning to Israel next month as part of a prisoner swap with Israel,
Kuwaiti daily al-Jarida reported Saturday.
According to a senior Egyptian official, Tarabin will be released after the Feast of Sacrifice, a Muslim holiday that will be celebrated in mid-November this year.
Related stories:
- Ilan Grapel lands in Israel
The swap, which is expected to resemble the recent Ilan Grapel deal, will see Tarabin released from prison in exchange for Egyptian inmates held in Israel. According to the same source, this time the Jewish state will release "political prisoners" rather than detainees held for drug or weapon smuggling offences.
The Egyptian official did not say how many prisoners will be freed by Israel in the framework of the swap, but stressed that Cairo is engaging in negotiations in order to "gain the greatest profits." He hinted that "additional spies" may be discovered in Egyptian jails and prompt further negotiations.
Tarabin was detained in Egypt some 11 years ago and imprisoned after being convicted of espionage. In the wake of the Grapel swap, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel's government will do everything in order to secure Tarabin's release as well.
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