Israeli delegation in Egypt to seek Bedouin prisoner’s release
Ouda Tarabin has been jailed on espionage charges since 2000
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A delegation of Israeli officials arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to hold talks over the release of Ouda Tarabin, a Bedouin Israeli who has been held in an Egyptian prison for the last 12 years.
According to the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, Israel has offered to release 63 Egyptian citizens currently incarcerated in Israel in exchange for Tarabin’s freedom.
In October 2011, Ilan Grapel, an American-Israeli citizen who had been held in Egypt for five months on espionage charges, was released in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners.
In 2000, the 19-year-old Tarabin was captured by Egyptian forces after he illegally crossed the border. Ouda was tried for espionage — without being allowed to attend the proceedings — by an Egyptian military court and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He has maintained his innocence.
The Times of Israel Community.