Israel
Releases Egyptian Sailors Aboard Karine A: Al-Jazeera
Azzam Azzam
DOHA,
October 14 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israel released eight
Egyptian sailors, allegedly on board Karine A, a ship carrying weapons
from Iran to the Palestinian Authority, according to Al-Jazeera
Satellite Channel Monday, October 14.
Quoting
unidentified sources, the Qatar-based Channel added that
"releasing the sailors might be a part of a deal to release an
Israeli Druze, condemned in June 1997 to 15 years in prison on charges
of spying for Israel.
In
January, Israeli daily
Ha'aretz reported that the Israeli Army proposed that Israel should
offer to trade the Egyptian sailors captured on board the ship for
Azzam Azzam.
The
paper then added that the “Egyptian sailors were not maliciously
involved in hostile activity against Israel, while Azzam also was
[allegedly] not involved in hostile activity against Egypt."
However,
the Egyptian government refused the Israeli deal then.
On
Sunday, October 13, Israeli Minister without portfolio Danny Naveh,
during a visit of several hours to Cairo, saw Azzam. During previous
trips to Egypt, Naveh visited Azzam, who is being held in Torah prison
in the southern suburbs of Cairo
