Netanyahu meets with Israeli citizen released from Egypt

Father of Ouda Tarabin, who spent 15 years in prison on espionage charges, says family ‘dying to see him’

An Israeli released Thursday after 15 years in an Egyptian prison on espionage charges met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem before returning home to his family in Rahat.

Ouda Tarabin, who has denied all the allegations against him, was released by Egypt and returned to Israel after serving his sentence, the PMO said in a statement.

In exchange, Israel released two Egyptians being held in Israeli prisons. Both were due to be released in coming weeks, but were let go after negotiations between Jerusalem and Cairo, according to officials.

“We had long conversations with the Egyptians over the years and we are happy to see you now with us,” Netanyahu said. “I said we would bring you back here, and so it was. Now you have a fresh start.”

Tarabin thanked the prime minister for the efforts to liberate him, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Suleiman Tarabin, Ouda’s father, told the Ynet news site, “This is the moment we have been awaiting for 15 years. I have not yet seen him and I am dying to see him. I don’t know if he will come home today or tomorrow.”

The situation took a toll on the whole family, his father said: “My son and my family have undergone a very long and difficult period. It’s not easy to deal with the suffering.”

Likud MK and Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara, who helped to bring about Tarabin’s release, said that he was proud of Tarabin.

“I am on my way to welcome the great Israeli patriot Ouda Tarabin,” Kara said. “During all the years that Tarabin was in prison, I made sure to stay in touch with his family and to work for his release. I have always felt that I have a moral obligation as a representative of Israel to bring about his release, and in the end, truth and justice won out.”

The PMO statement on Tarabin’s release also said that Israel had freed two Egyptian prisoners who had completed their jail terms.

Egyptian media reported that Tarabin was released as part of a prisoner exchange, though the Prime Minister’s Office appeared to dispute that account. The Foreign Ministry said that “Tarabin’s release was the result of efforts by [his] lawyer Yitzhak Meltzer and the Foreign Ministry.

Tarabin’s official release date was December 23, therefore his release Thursday cannot be considered a grand gesture by the Egyptians, said Yitzhak Levanon, who served as Israel’s ambassador in Cairo from 2009 to 2011.

In recent years there had been talk of a prisoner exchange of dozens of Egyptians held in Israel in return for Tarabin.

Tarabin’s family in July accused Netanyahu of ignoring their son’s plight because he is not Jewish. They said that no Israeli official had contacted them since their son’s arrest.

Raphael Ahren contributed to this report.

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