According to an Egyptian newspaper report, Cairo is hoping to broker a prisoner swap for dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel, who has been imprisoned in Egypt since June.
Egypt is demanding the release of roughly 80 of its citizens from Israeli jails in return for Grapel’s release, Al-Ahram reported. U.S.-born Grapel, 27, who immigrated to Israel six years ago and served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces, was arrested in Egypt three months ago on charges of aggravated espionage on Israel's behalf.
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The reported Egyptian demands come days after U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called for Grapel's release during a visit to Cairo. Last week, Panetta met with senior Egyptian officials including the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Anan.
On Oct. 4, Panetta told reporters in Cairo, “The efforts for release of the American citizen in custody in Egypt are ongoing, and we believe that the issue will be resolved swiftly, and in a fair and respectable manner.”
According to the Al-Ahram report, the Egyptian government is interested in the release of prisoners who had been “arrested based on political motivations, not on personal or criminal grounds.” Some officials suspect Egypt has made additional claims, passed on to both the U.S. and Israel, but has not made them public.
Both Grapel and the Israeli government have denied that he was ever a spy.
