Posted on 12/05/2004 11:51:42 AM PST by yonif
Bearded, full of blisters and gaunt from eight years in Egyptian prison, Israeli businessman and convicted spy Azzam Azzam returned to Israel Sunday in exchange for six Egyptian terrorists in a deal reflecting the warming relations with Egypt.
In a conversation with President Moshe Katsav, Azzam said he was proud of the state of Israel, which did not forget him, and "gave me new life."
"I am proud of the government of Israel, which did not forget me. There is no other nation on earth that would have done this for me," Azzam said.
Katsav responded by saying, "All of Israel is happy for your return, and happy that you are reunited with your family."
The prisoner swap provided Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with the opportunity to personally thank Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the "humanitarian gesture," adding it would lead to deepening bilateral relations, Sharon's office said.
Sharon told Azzam he had worked hard for his release and that "the entire country is united in happiness over your return home." Azzam's brother, Iftan, said the family only found out earlier Sunday that the prisoner was to be released.
"He has been reborn. He has a new birthday, December 5, 2004," Iftan told Channel 1.
In addition to freeing the six Egyptian prisoners, Sharon said Israel would weigh the possibility of commuting the sentences of Palestinian prisoners according to already agreed upon criteria.
There had been a court-ordered ban on publication of the deal, which was eventually lifted as Azzam crossed the border crossing at Taba Sunday afternoon.
Israeli security officials who accompanied Azzam said he cried and flashed a victory sign as he emerged from the van that carried him across the border crossing.
Asked whether he expected he would win early release, Azzam said: "I always believed because I am an Israeli citizen. I believed, because the state of Israel takes care of its citizens."
Celebrations had already begun at Azzam's hometown, in the northern Druse village of Mughar. A stage was quickly erected in the village center, and Israeli singers and bands are said to perform there Sunday night to celebrate Azzam's return.
After crossing into Israel, Azzam underwent medical checkup and an "informal chat" with members of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). Shin Bet officials insisted this was not a debriefing and that he would not undergo any such thing since he had no connection with any Israeli security service.
Azzam was flown to Tel-Aviv's Carlton hotel, where he ate lunch, rested, and started receiving guests, including Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon.
Immediately after the swap, Sharon telephoned Azzam and personally welcomed him home.
"This is an historic moment for Israel, a moment we have waited for a long time," Sharon said, and recounted the meetings he had with Azzam's family and efforts he took to win his release.
Azzam profusely thanks the prime minister.
"I told my brothers that if I wasn't released while Ark [Ariel] Sharon was prime minister than I'll never be freed. I am fortunate and proud to have been born in Israel," Azzam told Sharon, according to a press release from the Prime Minister's Office.
"I am strong. I am not crying because I am weak, but because I am strong. I believed I was in a grave, and that I would get out eventually. And now I have a new life. I am proud to be an Israeli citizen, and proud of Israel for not forgetting me. In jail, I felt strong because I knew my prime minister would not forget me. Here I am now in my beloved State of Israel. Inshalla [with God's help] we will meet very soon," Azzam told the Prime Minister.
The deal came about after persistent, if not demanding, appeals by Israel's leaders to free the Israeli Druse businessman. Israel has repeatedly promised Egypt that Azzam was not a spy.
Azzam was arrested in 1996 and charged, convicted of espionage and sentenced in 1997 to 15 years in prison. A worker at a textile plant in Cairo, he was accused of passing on Egyptian state secrets by soaking women's underwear in invisible ink.
At the same time that Azzam crossed into Israel, a vehicle from the Prison Authority transferred the six Egyptian students to Taba where they were led across to Egyptian officials and later were reportedly transferred to Cairo.
Their trial was postponed in Israel so that the 'Azzam deal' could go ahead, Channel 1 TV reported.
The students had sneaked into Israel in August near Nitzana, along the border with Egypt. They were charged with conspiring to kill Israeli soldiers. The Beersheba District Court in September had indicted them on charges of infiltrating into Israel, planning hijack an IDF tank, kill its crew and rob a bank to get money that could be used to fund further attacks on Israel, including kidnapping soldiers and negotiating their return in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Egyptian officials said that back in Egypt, the students could face charges of illegally crossing the border.
The six, students from Cairo, ranging in age from 25 to 30, were caught by Border Police armed with 14 knives and reconnaissance equipment.
The Egyptian daily Al-Ahram identified the students as Imad Syed, Muhammad Yasri, Mustafa Mahmoud Yousef, and Mustafah Abou Deif, Mahmoud Jamal Azza, and Muhammad Maher.
Five of the six had undergone previous military training. Police said they worked independently and were not affiliated with any terrorist organizations. Parents of the students have said in interviews that their sons had no political views and had gone to Israel merely to find work.
A father of one of the six was quoted on Channel 10 TV as saying he was against the release of his son in exchange for the "Zionist spy who had done real damage to Egypt's interests."
The prisoner exchange deal came together on Friday after Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz signed deportation order for the six Egyptian detainees. Once that was signed, the process of Azzam's released moved forward, officials said.
Mofaz himself phoned Azzam upon his return and told him he was personally moved when he signed the deportation orders because he knew it would be "the gate to your return."
The defense establishment has long sought the release of Azzam and has brought up the issue at many opportunities. Officials however ruled out media reports that this deal was made during the visit of Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to Israel last week, indicating it had been in the works previously.
The Egyptians said Sunday that there was no relation between Azzam's release and the return of the six Egyptian infiltrators. In fact, there have been reports that Azzam's freedom had originally been set for November 14, but this was postponed after Yasser Arafat died.
Danny Yatom, who was head of the Mossad during the time of Azzam's trial, told Channel 2 TV that he had met with the Egyptian president as well as with Omar Sullieman after Azzam's arrest to plead the accused spy's innocence. He categorically told them that Azzam was not a member of any Israeli intelligence organization.
Although President Mubarak was receptive to his overtures, he said that he could do nothing to guarantee Azzam's release because it was not his position to intervene in the decisions of the Egyptian High Court, which had sentenced Azzam to 15 years in prison.
Yatom said Sulleiman told him "Danny, don't worry, we will release him in two weeks."
Yatom added that shortly after that meeting, Israeli press reports said Israel was pressuring Egypt to release Azzam, and that the Egyptian government did not want to be seen to surrendering to those pressures, and thus did not release Azzam.
Egypt withdrew its ambassador from Israel shortly after the outbreak of the conflict in 2000, to protest what it considered Israel's excessive use of force against Palestinians.
Lucky him. If only the US Government pursued the release/freedom of all it's citizens with equal zeal - geopolitics be damned. I'm specifically referring to the numerous US women and children held captive by Saudi husbands and fathers.
Ping.
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