There were rumors of Tarabin's imminent release in in 2011 and 2012, but nothing ever materialized.
Egypt Independent reports that Tarabin is trying to shame everyone into letting him go:
Ouda Tarabin, an Israeli citizen imprisoned in Egypt since 2000 on espionage charges, accused his country of betraying its pledge to work for his release, claiming that Israeli officials know he is innocent.The issue had disgracefully not gotten much coverage in Israel. The government of Israel should be in the forefront of pushing for Tarabin's release.
In a letter to the Israeli ambassador in Cairo that was featured in a Voice of Israel Radio broadcast on Wednesday, Tarabin urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and a lawsuit with the UN's International Court of Justice for his release.
Addressing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, he said that he was not given a fair trial and held the Israeli prime minister responsible for his life.
According to an Israeli television channel, a team from the United Nations Commission of Human Rights that investigated Tarabin’s case said in 2012 that he was subjected to arbitrary arrest and had not received a fair trial.
Tarabin is on hunger strike to highlight his plight. Political sources in Israel have warned that the strike may endanger his life and have called for his immediate release.