Israeli prisoner Tarabin plans to sue Egypt

We've discussed the plight of Israeli citizen Ouda Tarabin before, but he is hoping that the new Egyptian regime might treat him better than the last.

From Egypt Independent:

Ouda Tarabin, a dual Egyptian-Israeli citizen [sic] currently serving time for espionage, plans to file a lawsuit against the Egyptian government at the International Criminal Court for unlawful arrest. He demands to be released and to receive compensation of US$100 million.

Tarabin was found guilty of spying for Israel and sentenced to 15 years in prison at the Ismailia Military Court in 2000. He has been imprisoned in Egypt ever since.

In April, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Israel and Egypt were allegedly in talks to release Tarabin in exchange for the release of 60 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, but the deal fell through.

According to an Israeli television channel, a team from the United Nations Commission of Human Rights has investigated Tarabin’s case, and recently stated that Tarabin was subjected to arbitrary arrest and had not received a fair trial.

The channel added that Tarabin’s lawyers are planning to use that recommendation to support their case against the Egyptian government.

Tarabin’s defense team sent a letter to President Mohamed Morsy demanding his release during Ramadan, or at least a retrial, the TV station claimed.

The channel reported that a delegation from the Israeli Embassy in Cairo has visited Tarabin twice in prison. They quoted the detainee as saying, “I lay all the hopes of my release on the new regime, and I am sure they will realize that my arrest was not fair.”

As far as I know, he is an Israeli Arab but he is not a dual Egyptian-Israeli citizen. (I don't think that is even possible.)

It is a disgrace that Tarabin's plight has not been publicized more. He should have been released as part of the Ilan Grapel deal last year. In fact, I have much more sympathy for Tarabin than for Grapel, whose naivete was reckless and ultimately dangerous.

UPDATED: The document above states he was born in the Sinai in 1981, Israel handed over control of the area in 1982 but it is unclear how or when his family ended up in Israel. (h/t Prof Ginzburg)

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What does the new Egyptian leadership mean for Ouda Tarabin?

Ouda Tarabin, an Israeli Arab,  has been imprisoned in Egypt since 2000 when he went over the border to visit his sister in El Arish without proper papers. He never had a chance to defend himself in court against the espionage charges.

There were rumors during and after the Grapel deal last year that Tarabin would be released, but it never happened. Now that Egypt has a new government, what does that mean for him?

Israel's Channel 2 recently wrote up about the case, noting that Israel has been very quiet in negotiating his release. Yet even most Israelis never heard of Tarabin.

According to CNN Arabic, the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists plans to file a complaint against Egypt to the International Council for Human Rights saying that Egypt's arrest of Tarabin deliberately violated his human rights. The organization also plans to appeal directly to new Egyptian president-elect Mohamed Morsi to release Tarabin.

The article quotes Israel Radio as saying that Amnesty International also submitted a report about arbitrary arrests by Egyptian authorities, including that of Tarabin, and Egypt never responded. A 2011 Amnesty report says:

Dual Egyptian-Israeli national Ouda Suleiman Tarabin continues to be detained allegedly on the basis that he had been tried by a military court and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for espionage back in 1999, when he was aged 19. Ouda Suleiman Tarabin was arrested two days after he entered Egypt illegally. He said he was insulted when he showed an Israeli passport. He told the lawyer who represents him now that he was never brought before a judge nor assigned a lawyer before. The authorities have so far failed to provide a copy of the verdict of the military court despite repeated requests by the lawyer to the Minister of Interior, Minster of Justice and the prison authorities and it remains unclear whether he is indeed serving a prison sentence or is in fact held in administrative detention. Amnesty International wrote to the Minister of Interior to inquire about the legal status of Ouda Suleiman Tarabin but received no answer. Ouda Suleiman Tarabin continues to be held in Liman Tora Prison.

The case of Tarabin will show whether Morsi is a reformer who will fight against the abuses of the previous military regime, as he claims, or if he is just another politician.

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Ouda Tarabin may be released this week in prisoner swap

From YNet:

The al-Muhit Arab website reported Thursday that Israel and Egypt will complete a prisoner exchange deal as part of which 63 Egyptian prisoners will be traded off in exchange for Israeli citizen Ouda Tarabin by April 25.

The report stated that the prisoners' relatives were promised that the deal will go through by April 25 – the day Egypt marks as Sinai liberation day.

Based on the same promise, members of the Sinai Multinational Force recently captured by Bedouins were freed and a Central Sinai road has been reopened. The report could not be confirmed.

Other Egyptian media outlets reported that an Israeli envoy arrived in Egypt on Wednesday for a brief visit. During a meeting with Egyptian officials, the parties discussed the latest developments in the prisoners issue, including the Ouda Tarabin deal.

Egyptian media reported many times of a possible agreement for Tarabin's release over the past few years.

Several weeks ago, the al-Ahram newspaper reported that a high-level Israeli delegation discussed the issue with Egyptian officials in Cairo.

Tarabin has been held in Egypt on espionage charges since 2000.

Egyptian media are reporting anywhere between 56 and 65 prisoners being released by Israel.

Last year when Ilan Grapel was released there was much speculation that a Tarabin deal was imminent as well. Last month there was renewed rumors that a Tarabin deal was nearing completion.

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Does this mean Israel values Arabs twice as much as Jews?

From Al Masry Al Youm:

Alleged Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, who was released Thursday in a prisoner exchange deal between Egypt and Israel, thanked Egyptian authorities for treating him well during his four months of detention.

Grapel was returned to Israel on Thursday night in exchange for 25 Egyptians held in Israeli prisons. He crossed into Israel from the Egyptian border town of Taba.

Ouda Tarabin, an Israeli Bedouin who has been detained in Egypt for nearly a decade accused of spying for Israel, will be released sometime in the next few days in another swap deal, a representative of his family in Israel told the Voice of Israel radio station Thursday evening.

Yitzhak Molcho, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief negotiator for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and Knesset (Israeli parliament) member Yoel Hasson informed the Tarabin family's representative that Ouda will be released in exchange for 60 Egyptians currently detained in Israel on charges related to Israeli national security.

By the brilliant logic of Deborah Orr and Alon Idan, subconscious racists who believe that only Israelis decide the terms of prisoner deals and that Arabs have no ability to influence the parameters, they have to admit that this is proof that Israel values the lives of its Arab citizens over twice as much as her Jewish citizens.

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Report: Israel dropped opposition to F16 sale for Grapel, Tarabin

From YNet:

The Palestinian Maan news agency reported Thursday that the United States has agreed to sell Egypt several F-16 fighter jets in order to facilitate the release of Israeli-American Ilan Grapel. Israel had opposed similar sales in the past.

Grapel, who was arrested in June on espionage charges, is slated to be released later on Thursday. Israel will release 25 Egyptian prisoners in return.

According to the Ma'an report, Israeli Bedouin Ouda Tarabin - imprisoned in Egypt for a decade - was a large factor in the Grapel negotiations.

Originally, there were reports that Israel would trade all 81 Egyptian prisoners but Isrsel told Egypt that Grapel simply was not that important to them - but Tarabin was.

Under the previous Egyptian regime, Mubarak refused to deal Tarabin, claiming that Egyptians would rise up against him if he would.

Israel had been opposed to the F-16 deal for security reasons, and as part of this deal Israel is dropping its objections. In addition, the report says that Israel will also drop its Camp David demands of a limited Egyptian army presence in the Sinai. Israel's apology to Egypt for the deaths of several Egyptian soldiers during a terror attack in August also came into play in this deal, according to the report.

What this all comes down to is that Grapel, and Tarabin, are not prisoners. They are hostages. And while the price is not as high as in the Shalit deal, Israel is rewarding Egypt for acting like a terrorist group. (I cannot say that the US is doing the same, as it appears that America wanted to sell the F-16s to Egypt for a while and it was Israeli opposition that stopped it.)

It would be the height of folly for anyone with Israeli citizenship, or even for Jews with Israeli relatives, to visit Egypt.

(Palestine Today says that the deal involves F-16s "and other weapons.")

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Egypt, Israel agree on Grapel deal

From Al Arabiya:

Egypt and Israel said Monday they have finalized arrangements to exchange an alleged Israeli spy for 25 Egyptians held in Israeli jails, on the heels of a Hamas-Israel prisoner swap.

“Egypt has agreed to release Ilan Grapel and at Egypt’s request Israel has agreed to free 25 Egyptian prisoners,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

According to the statement, the Egyptians lined up for release –including three minors – are not security prisoners. 

Egypt’s official MENA news agency said the swap is expected to take place “in the next two days.”

The deal is subject to the approval of Israel's 14-member security cabinet which is due to convene on Tuesday, the statement said. But it is highly unlikely to reject the agreement.

Ouda Tarabin is still not being discussed.

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Grapel may be in Egyptian prison for two more months

From Ma'an/AFP:

Egypt and Israel are adding the "final touches" to a deal to swap an Israel-American detained in Cairo for Egyptian prisoners detained in Israel, the official MENA news agency said on Saturday.

"MENA has learned that the final touches are currently being made for a deal to swap Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, accused of spying on Egypt for Israel, for about 16 Egyptian prisoners and three detained children," MENA reported.

Later Saturday, Egyptian state-owned daily Al Ahram reported that Egypt had secured agreement for 20 - 30 Egyptian prisoners be returned in exchanged for Grapel, citing a MENA report.

Al Ahram said the deal is likely to take place after a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel concludes in two months, citing an Egyptian diplomatic source.

This is in contrast with earlier reports that the Grapel deal was imminent.

It sounds like Hamas pressured Egypt to link the Grapel deal with the Shalit deal. There is no logical relationship between the two.

And, again, no word about whether Israeli Bedouin Ouda Tarabin, who is also unjustly accused of being an Israeli spy, will be included in the deal. It would be tragic if Israel is ignoring Tarabin's plight.

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