A new Israeli attempt with Egypt to release Azzam

In the recent attempt to release the jailed Israeli Mossad officer under the charge of spying Azzam Azzam, the Israeli minister Salem Tarif arrived in Cairo on Sunday seeking to mediate for releasing him.

News reports said that Tarif who visited Azzam in his prison on Monday (December 31st 2001) had asked for meeting with high ranking Egyptian officials including the foreign minister Ahmad Maher. This time, the Israeli request is based on the deteriorated health conditions of the prisoner and the deterioration in his psychology.

Egypt has repeatedly refused Israeli requests to release Azzam proposed by two former Israeli prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak; former Israeli President Ezra Weisman and the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres.

Worthy mentioning that the Egyptian authorities arrested Azzam Mut'ib Azzam, an Israeli l from the Druze sect, in 1996 after discovering his attempt to establish a spying cell about economic and military secrets in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities said that he is an Israeli intelligence ( Mossad) officer who was disguised as an industrialist and came to Egypt under this title. After a trial which attracted the public opinion the Egyptian court sentenced Azzam to 15 year imprisonment.