Egypt releases Israeli convicted of spying

The Israeli had spent 15 years in prison for spying, while the Jewish state has freed two Egyptians, say officials

JERUSALEM: Egypt has released an Israeli who spent 15 years in prison for spying, while the Jewish state has freed two Egyptians, officials said Thursday amid improved ties between the two nations.

All three prisoners were said to have served their full terms and it was unclear whether their imprisonment could have been further extended or if their releases were the result of negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the releases but did not provide further details. Israel's foreign ministry also declined further comment.

"Israeli citizen Ouda Tarabin, who was imprisoned for 15 years after being accused of spying for Israel, has finished his sentence and was returned to Israel a short time ago," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.



"At the same time, Israel has released two Egyptian prisoners, who were imprisoned in Israel, who have finished their sentences."

Tarabin, an Israeli Bedouin, had regularly travelled to Egypt to visit his two sisters in the port city of El-Arish.

But during a trip in 2000 he was arrested and informed that he had been tried in absentia on charges of spying for Israel.

Tarabin, who was 19 when he was arrested, has always insisted he was innocent.

Israel had long called for his release, and on several occasions it has been raised in the context of a possible prisoner swap.



Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, but ties have remained formally cold over Israel's policies towards the Palestinians.

Relations soured after the June 2012 election of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi as Egyptian president.

Morsi was ousted in July 2013 by then army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was elected president in 2014.

In September, Israel opened a new embassy in Cairo, four years after protesters in the Egyptian capital stormed its mission following the ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.