Israeli prisoner in Egypt petitions for international intervention

Ouda Tarabin, an Israeli citizen imprisoned in Egypt since 2000 on espionage charges, accused his country of betraying its pledge to work for his release, claiming that Israeli officials know he is innocent.

In a letter to the Israeli ambassador in Cairo that was featured in a Voice of Israel Radio broadcast on Wednesday, Tarabin urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to file a complaint with the UN Security Council and a lawsuit with the UN's International Court of Justice for his release.

Addressing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, he said that he was not given a fair trial and held the Israeli prime minister responsible for his life.

Tarabin was found guilty of spying for Israel and sentenced to 15 years in prison at the Ismailia Military Court in 2000.

Al-Masry Al-Youm reported last year that Israel and Egypt were allegedly in talks to release Tarabin in exchange for the release of 60 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, but the deal fell through.

According to an Israeli television channel, a team from the United Nations Commission of Human Rights that investigated Tarabin’s case said in 2012 that he was subjected to arbitrary arrest and had not received a fair trial.

Tarabin is on hunger strike to highlight his plight. Political sources in Israel have warned that the strike may endanger his life and have called for his immediate release.