Post by Salem6 on Oct 27, 2011 11:59:18 GMT
Up to 25 jailed Egyptians to be set free in exchange for a former Israeli soldier held in Egypt on suspicion of spying.
Last Modified: 27 Oct 2011 09:52
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Grapel, a US-Israeli dual citizen held on spying suspicions, will be traded for 25 Egyptians jailed in Israel [Reuters]
Israel and Egypt have begun preparations for a prisoner exchange in which Egypt will free a US-Israeli man held on spying suspicion, in return for more than two dozen Egyptians held in Israel on smuggling and immigration charges.
The exchange is expected to occur on Thursday afternoon, with Israel transferring 25 Egyptians to Sinai via the Taba border crossing, as Ilan Grapel is flown to Tel Aviv.
Grapel, 27, was detained in Egypt in June on accusations he was out to recruit agents and monitor events in the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, who was an ally of Israel and the US.
Israel, whose relations with Egypt have been strained since the uprising, has denied that Grapel was involved in espionage.
The exchange deal, reportedly mediated by the US, was reached shortly after a successful Egyptian-negotiated swap between Israel and Hamas that freed Gilad Shalit, a captive Israeli soldier, in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The Egyptian prisoners, all convicted of smuggling drugs or weapons or infiltrating Israel illegally, have already been moved to a staging prison in Beer Sheva, Sivan Weizman, Israeli prison services spokeswoman, told the AFP news agency.
They will be moved to the Israeli border town Eilat, and their transfer across to Egypt is scheduled for around 5pm (15:00 GMT), she said. Around the same time, Grapel will fly from Cairo to Tel Aviv.
Official reception
Israeli media reported that Grapel was expected to land in Tel Aviv around 6pm local time (16:00 GMT) and would then be taken to Jerusalem for a brief meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, before flying to New York.
The returning Egyptian prisoners, all of them Bedouin, were to be received at an official reception at a Taba hotel attended by the governors of North and South Sinai, as well as representatives of the Bedouin community in the area.
Israel said three of the Egyptian prisoners to be swapped were under 18. It called for additional steps to help free
another Israeli, Oudeh Suleiman Tarabin, jailed by Egypt 11 years ago.
Grapel's mother said at the time of his arrest that her son, a law student in the US, had been working for Saint
Andrew's Refugee Services, a non-governmental organisation, in Cairo. Grapel emigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in its military in the 2006 Lebanon war.
Over the years, Egypt has arrested a number of people accused of spying for Israel.
Israel flew its ambassador out of Egypt in September when the Israeli embassy was attacked by protesters angry at the
killings of Egyptian border guards when Israeli troops pursued what is said were cross-border raiders in August.
Source: Agencies
english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/10/2011102783638880571.html