Israel has handed over 25 Egyptian nationals imprisoned in Israel as part of the Ilan Grapel prisoner exchange deal. Grapel is still in Egypt, in Israeli hands, currently with MK Yoel Hasson and attorney Yitzchak Molcho, the prime minister’s personal emissary. 

Foreign media reports earlier today, Thursday, 29 Tishrei, indicated that Grapel’s mother, a New Yorker, traveled to Cairo ahead of the prisoner exchange to be with her son, who has been in Egyptian custody since June.

Grapel, a member of the radical left-wing, holds American and Israeli citizenship. He was raised in New York City, and made the decision to come to Israel and serve in the IDF. He was a member of the paratroop corps and fought in the Second Lebanon War, during which he was wounded in a hand and shoulder.

According to his Wikipedia bio, “Ilan Grapel is a dual US-Israeli citizen, originally from Queens, New York. In 2005, Grapel graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in international studies. He then moved to Israel and performed compulsory military service in Israel. During his service he was wounded in the 2006 Lebanon War. Grapel later returned to US for law school, enrolling in Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother, Irene, said her son “always wanted to do good for the world.” As part of this commitment, she said, he learned Arabic at Johns Hopkins and went to Egypt to help in the re-settlement of people from Arab countries who were displaced. She added, “Ilan is a young man who wanted to see all sides of every issue. In the summer of 2002, Grapel interned in the Queens office of Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman, who has lobbied for his release.

Baruch Hashem, he is now a free man, unfortunately at great cost to Israel, both in the release of prisoners to Egypt and military armament that will be sold to Egypt by the USA, part of the deal, further shifting the balance of power in the Mideast, not in Israel’s favor.

More than a few Israelis are angered over yet another prisoner release deal, telling Israel Radio that he was arrested and charged with being a Mossad agent because he deiced to get involved in Egyptian politics, due to his leftist agenda. They feel Israel should not have been involved in the affair and left if for the US Department of State.

Others feel that he is a citizen, one who fought in the IDF, and therefore, obligated the government to act on his behalf.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)