MORE TERRORIST SWAPARAMA FROM ISRAEL…NOW IT’S 80 TERRORISTS FOR 1…..
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/38609
Virtually on the heels of the Egyptian- engineered swap of 1027 Palestinian Prisoners for IDF Sgt. Gilad Shalit, comes a second deal from Cairo. They want to swap American-Israel Ilan Grapel for 80 Egyptians that Israel is holding. Grapel was snatched from Tahrir Square in June on trumped up charges that he was ‘spying for Israel’ while working for an NGO, the St. Andrews Refugee Services in Cairo. Grapel had made Aliyah to Israel in 2005 and served in the IDF during the second Lebanon War in 2006. He was attending law school in the US, when the snatch occurred. Defense secretary Leon Panetta had requested Grapel’s release during a recent visit to Cairo. Clearly, like Shalit, the Egyptians were taking a page out of the Galid –Palestinian prisoner exchange then in the works to get their terrorists freed.
Ynet news reported on the deal to spring Grapel:
Egypt said it was preparing to swap US-Israeli dual national Ilan Grapel, who was detained in June on spying charges, for Egyptian prisoners held in Israel.
Grapel, 27, was arrested in Egypt on accusations he was a spy out to recruit agents and monitor events in the revolt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, an ally of both the United States and Israel. Grapel has not faced trial yet.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called on Egypt this month to release Grapel but denied he was involved in direct negotiations over the matter.
“In response to the demands of the families of Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, the cabinet has decided that the Foreign Ministry coordinate with all the concerned security entities to take the necessary steps to return those prisoners to their homeland,” cabinet spokesman Mohamed Hegazy said.
“This includes the exchange of the accused Ilan Grapel with those prisoners and taking the necessary legal steps involved.”
An Egyptian security source said earlier this week that such a deal was expected. Media reports said more than 80 Egyptian prisoners in Israel would be involved in the exchange.
Over the years, Egypt has arrested a number of people accused of spying for Israel.
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