Egypt involved in another Israeli prisoner release

October 22, 2011 - 8:53 PM by David

Ilan Grapel.

Egypt is certainly busy these days. Only a few days after Egyptian security officials helped to implement the deal that sent IDF soldier Gilad Schalit home in the lopsided prisoner exchange with Hamas, another unjustly held Israeli is about to be freed, according to Egyptian media reports.

Israel and Egypt are putting the “finishing touches” on a list of prisoners to be freed in exchange for Ilan Grapel. Grapel is a US-Israeli dual citizen that Egypt has charged with spying, sedition and inciting Egyptians to violence during the 18-day revolution that unseated president Hosni Mubarak. The 27-year-old’s release was reportedly worked out as part of the deal that brought home Schalit, but it’s unclear when exactly the exchange is going to take place.

Grapel emigrated to Israel in 2005 from New York and served in the IDF during the 2006 Lebanon War, where he was wounded in action. Currently enrolled as a law student at Emory University in Atlanta, Grapel was at the time of his arrest working for Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, a non-governmental organization, in Cairo. Friends, family and US and Israeli officials have all dismissed the charges against him as “bizarre” and “ludicrous” and some point to photos Grapel posted on his Facebook page of himself in Cairo as proof that he was no spy.

If Grapel is really released this week, it would be fitting for a Schalt-Grapel meeting to take place. I’m sure they’d have something to talk about. And Israelis would have another reason to cheer.

Maybe we should get Egypt involved in the medical residents’ dispute with the Health Ministry.

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