Queens law student Ilan Grapel has been delivered from an Egyptian prison and into his mother’s arms. The U.S put the icing on the cake for his release by agreeing to sell Egypt F-16 fighter jets. Hit the jump to read the story.
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“It’s over now,” Grapel’s delighted dad, Daniel, told The Daily News. “My son is safe. He is with him mother now.”
Grapel, who had been jailed on suspicion of spying, was turned over to Israeli diplomats in Cairo before he was reunited with his mom at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel-Aviv.
“I feel so relieved,” Daniel Grapel said. “I’m still trying to catch my breath. I can’t quite believe it. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
Grapel said the waiting “has taken its toll on all of us.”
“It’s been such a long journey,” the relieved dad said. “Soon we will be together again. It’s hard to believe.”
Asked whether Grapel will ever set foot again in Egypt, his dad answered, “My son is an adventurer.”
“That is who he is,” he said. “As his parents, we will give him our two cents, but he won’t stop being who he is. He is a grown man and he makes his own decisions. But I hope he stays close to home for at least a little while.”
Grapel will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and be debriefed by security officials before he flies home to New York.
In exchange for Grapel’s freedom, the Israelis freed 25 Egyptian prisoners – a group of mostly smugglers that includes two minors. They were bused to the border earlier.
Maan, a Palestinian news service, reported the U.S. helped grease the deal to release Grapel by agreeing to sell Egypt several F-16 fighter jets. There was no independent confirmation of this from the Pentagon.
Grapel’s mother, Irene, flew from Queens to Israel on Wednesday to bring him home to Oakland Gardens.
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), who personally intervened in the case, is also there to help escort them back.
“We are going to throw a big party for him, but first my son has a lot of people to thank,” Daniel Grapel said.
“A lot of people who helped make this possible. We are all so grateful,” he said. “It’s been months and months of waiting … I’m still cautious. I won’t believe it until he’s out.”
A 27-year-old former Israeli soldier who speaks Arabic, Grapel was working for a legal aid group in Cairo when he was nabbed.
Grapel, who has both U.S. and Israeli citizenship, drew the ire of Egyptian authorities when he posted on Facebook a picture of himself dressed in his old military uniform in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the Egyptian revolt.
Grapel was accused of spying – a charge he, his family and friends vehemently denied.
His dad said Grapel is eager to get back to the Emory Law School in Atlanta and resume his studies.
“My son missed a lot of time,” he said. “He wants to go back up to school as soon as possible.”
Grapel’s release comes a week after Israeli soldier Gilat Shalit was freed by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
DN
