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Israeli spy in Egyptian jail accuses Tel Aviv of neglecting him

February 15, 2014 at 1:28 pm

The Israeli spy detained in Egypt, Oda al-Tarabeen, has announced he is going on hunger strike in protest against his country’s negligence of his plight, Israel radio said on Wednesday.

Al-Tarabeen, who is serving a 15-year sentence, accused Israel of breaching its promise to release him.


In a letter submitted to Israel’s ambassador to Cairo Yacoub Amitai, Al-Tarabeen said that Israel “exerts inadequate efforts” to release him while it knows that he is innocent.

The spy called on the Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to file a complaint to the UNSC against Egypt and to raise his issue at the ICC at The Hague in order to work for his release.

Al-Tarabeen, who was imprisoned in 2000, addressed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi saying he did not have a “just trial.” He blamed responsibility on Morsi for his life.

According to the Israeli radio, Israeli political officials in Jerusalem called for the immediate release of Al-Tarabeen. They have said that a hunger strike will put his life in danger.

The radio also reported the officials saying that Israel is ready to swap Egyptian prisoners for Al-Tarabeen.

Al-Tarabeen is the son of former spy Solaiman al-Tarabeen who escaped to Israel in 1990 after the Egyptian Authorities became aware of him. He took his 9-year old Oda with him.

Oda became a spy and infiltrated the Israel-Egyptian borders to collect information about the Egyptian army positioned in Sinai. A large amount of fake US dollars were found on him when he was captured during a visit to his sister in Cairo. He said that he used the money to recruit more spies.