Israel celebrates the release of Azzam, considers his release an rapprochement opportunity with Egypt
Israel has welcomed at the public and official levels its Druz citizen, Azzam Azzam, who is convicted of spying, after Egypt had released him in exchange for the release of 6 Egyptian students held in Israel.
The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon received Azzam in a hotel in Tel Aviv, and after that, Azzan was received as a hero in his village to the north of Israel where he expressed before the people of his village happiness over the release saying that he was dead in the prison in Egypt and that the government of Sharon brought him back to life.
Azzam's release was not reflected in just festivities in Israel, rather Tel Aviv considered his release as contributing to strengthening relations with Egypt. Sharon said in a joint press conference with the German foreign minister Joschka Fischer that he had talked with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak over strengthening relations and expanding fields of joint activities between the two sides.
The director general of the Israeli foreign ministry Ron Brosor expected this rapprochement to lead in the near future to the return back of the Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv.
The Israeli deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert said the two countries will sign in Cairo a free trade agreement on December 14, adding that this agreement might open the way before great changes in the Middle East.
Israeli forces, however, said that Sharon ordered the Israeli authorities to discuss the reduction of imprisonment sentences of certain Palestinians. The Egyptian Middle East news Agency MENA said that Sharon permitted several Palestinian security men to go to Egypt to train in the course of the withdrawal plan from Gaza.
The Israeli defense minister Shaoul Mofaz said that Israel will proceed forward in a campaign to alleviate the measures of issuing travel measures for the Palestinians gradually, while launching the battle for forming a new coalition.
In the same context, the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit expressed his hope that the release operation will be an introduction for a series of steps taken by Israel to create a positive atmosphere at the level of bilateral relations and achieving stability in the region.
However, Azzam was working as a director of textile factory in Cairo in the course of a joint Israeli- Egyptian project. The Egyptian authorities arrested him on November 6, 1996 under the charge of transporting messages written in a secret ink on women garments to the Israeli intelligence forces and his attempt to recruit Egyptian agents. He was sentenced by Egypt's court in August 1997 of 17 year imprisonment.
However, the Egyptian students were arrested in Gaza on August 25 inside Israel after they had sneaked via the border in Gaza and were brought to trial under the charge of planning for kidnapping and assassination of Israeli soldiers.