Israel and Egypt reached a prisoner exchange deal that would release a Queens man accused of being an Israeli spy. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
@WiL
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement that the two nations had brokered a deal to release Ilan Grapel in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners, the newspaper’s Website reported.
Grapel, an American and Israeli citizen, had been held in Egypt since June. 12.
Grapel, a student at Emory Law School in Atlanta, had been interning with an Egyptian non-profit when he was arrested.
He was at first accused of espionage, but the charges were later changed to incitement and firebombing an Egyptian police station – accusations his family and supporters called absurd.
The U.S. has been pushing to secure Grapel’s release.
Queens Congressman Gary Ackerman had been working behind the scenes and had arranged for Grapel’s parents to speak with their son in his Egyptian jail over the summer.
The Israeli cabinet is set to meet on Tuesday to give the deal a final seal of approval, Haaretz reported.
