Egypt has officially announced that it arrested an Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel on suspicion of spying and trying to recruit Egyptians in Cairo. The supreme security prosecution ordered his detention 15 days pending investigation. He was arrested today at a 3 stars hotel by the intelligence officers and the attendance of security prosecutor in accordance with the legal procedures.
He is the first Israeli to be arrested in Egypt on suspicion of espionage from 50 years , Azzam Azzam is from Druze origin.
According to the early statements in the Egyptian media Grapel is an officer in the Israeli Mossad who came to Egypt during the revolution as a journalist and went to Tahrir square. Grapel is accused of spying and also trying to recruit Egyptian revolutionary youth. He is also accused of trying to rift the relation between the revolutionaries and the army. He came to Egypt 4 or 5 time. Now according to some source the revolutionary youth reported him to the Egyptian intelligence while to other sources the intelligence spots him for a while and his case was already known to SCAF and was reflected in one of its statements. “As a warning from foreign conspiracies and infiltrators”
He was lately spotted at the incident of Al Azbakia where he was filmed there.”Allegedly by the GIS” Al Masry Al Youm published that clip showing him at Al Azbakia. He was also spotted at Imbaba during the sorrowful sectarian events that took place there. Al Masry Al Youm also published a collection of his photos in Egypt and also in Israel , during his army service.
According to the Egyptian official statements Grapel used to be an officer in the IDF and was injured during Lebanon 2006 war. He spoke Arabic in a Shami dialect. We do not know from where these photos were come , it is not from his Facebook profile based on the privacy setting but these photos could have been in his laptop which was confiscated according to the official statements.
Already based on the signs hanged at Tahrir square , I will these photos were taken on last May 27.
Check that sign about Obama and the picture below. It was right after Obama's speech.
Now this is what was published in our media and what we know about him. There is more online about Ilan Grapel , the veteran IDF soldier wounded in Lebanon 2006 war and the graduate of John Hopkins. In 2006 Grapel was featured in NY Daily News , Washington Post and also in Haaretz as the 23 years old Grapel from Queens,N.Y who were among the Israeli soldiers wounded in Lebanon war.
The young man from Bronx joined Hasbara and learned Arabic to defend Israel in anti-Israeli environment. Here is a screen cap about the Israel project’s media fellowship in Summer 2008 slideshow.
Top young Israeli leaders from future leaders, upper class and journalists were taught in Israel and States how to promote for Israel against Iran in The Israel project. In 2009 he was working as analyst and author for the Australia/Israel& Jewish affairs council “AIJAC” and he wrote this article in “The Australian” attacking the Green left weekly for standing with Palestinian cause and accusing it of supporting terrorism. Green Left weekly had to defend itself of course in front of that attack. During July 2009 he opened a twitter account that he only used it twice to speak about his attack on the green left.
Based on these facts Grapel is an Israeli/American , I do not know if the American embassy will interfere or not.
In his own Facebook profile , Grapel claims that he preaches in Al Ahzar . Allegedly he claimed that he converted to Islam.There were photos for him in Al Azhar. It is claimed that he tried to penetrate the Muslim brotherhood.
He got 537 friends and because of curiosity I just looked through his friend list and found that interesting Arabic name “The Searcher for truth”. That friend whose profile is private , posted a question privately about learning the Islamic Sharia through “Paltalk”. When someone mentions the word “Paltalk” and religion in one sentence I reach for my gun immediately. This is a trivial side mark.
Needless to say the media coverage and the language of the statements issued in the Egyptian press are not helping the trust issue in Egypt especially between young skeptic generations online. This case comes after the case of the Iranian diplomat accused of spying who was deported on the same plane of the public diplomacy delegation heading to Tehran. It also comes after the return of Egyptian gas to Israel. There is no doubt that this case can affect foreign journalists badly in Egypt again considering the fact Grapel is a journalist and according to reports Grapel is not alone and he got a ring of reporters in Alexandria and Cairo.
Personally I am not be surprised to know there are spies from country x or Y or Z in Egypt knowing the fact that the fall of Mubarak was like an earthquake in the region , I will not be surprised at all. We will be fooling ourselves if we think otherwise. This is one point.
Another point which unfortunately we are not paying attention this is the second Hasabra Orphan to visit Tahrir square after Bernard Henri Levy !! I do not know if our revolutionaries are paying attention to the fact that BHL's photos were used to stain both the Egyptian and Libyan revolution especially by Mubarak orphans.
Of course some of our tweep revolutionaries are turning it in to a comedy in a way that amazed me as a person , it seems that they hate to think even in the possibility that there could be spies among us like any other county as if Egypt is not that important and what happened was nothing in strategic terms. Our revolutionary tweeps ignore the fact that this incident could harm Tahrir square as well as they hate to admit that this incident will raise from the stake of SCAF and GIS high in the street. "Ironically people are saying that Police should learn from GIS"
I hate to say it but there is difference between opposing SCAF for political reasons and acting in this way which I can't find a word to describe it.
Anyhow I think we should stop exporting gas to Israel if Ilan is convicted. If Ilan is found guilty , he will be imprisoned in Egypt "at Tora land" till he is extradited in some sort of deal. "Usually in return of Egyptians"
The Israeli embassy was informed by the case and is required to provide its citizen with a lawyer. The last time the Israeli embassy hired a lawyer to defend one of its citizens accused of espionage , it hired none other Farid El-Deeb , Hosni Mubarak’s lawyer.
The most famous and earliest espionage and terrorism cases in Egypt was the Lavon affair which took place in 1954 where the Israeli Mossad bombed Western and American targets in Egypt to create instability in country from one side and to create a crisis between the Free officers government and the west from another side.
Tonight all talk shows dedicated a segment for the 4th alleged spy to be arrested after the revolution. According to Lt.General Hassan El-Rawany of the centralized zone in Cairo Today show the spy’s mission was to create a rift between the army and the people. Hala Sarhan reminded us that Israel won’t leave us alone while Reem Maged stated that the intelligence , the army and the people are one hand. “The police is out of the equation as usual”
National security expert and former intelligence officer Sameh Seif El-Yazal promised Mona El Shazly on Dream TV 2 that he would send to the show tomorrow a photocopy from Grapel’s Israeli passport as he got it a copy from GIS. He ended his talk in the segment about the alleged spy saying that that we should expect more good news soon.
I think all Egyptians need more good news soon for real.
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| Grapel on the left |
According to the early statements in the Egyptian media Grapel is an officer in the Israeli Mossad who came to Egypt during the revolution as a journalist and went to Tahrir square. Grapel is accused of spying and also trying to recruit Egyptian revolutionary youth. He is also accused of trying to rift the relation between the revolutionaries and the army. He came to Egypt 4 or 5 time. Now according to some source the revolutionary youth reported him to the Egyptian intelligence while to other sources the intelligence spots him for a while and his case was already known to SCAF and was reflected in one of its statements. “As a warning from foreign conspiracies and infiltrators”
He was lately spotted at the incident of Al Azbakia where he was filmed there.”Allegedly by the GIS” Al Masry Al Youm published that clip showing him at Al Azbakia. He was also spotted at Imbaba during the sorrowful sectarian events that took place there. Al Masry Al Youm also published a collection of his photos in Egypt and also in Israel , during his army service.
Al Masry Al Youm : An Israeli spy in Cairo’s street
Already based on the signs hanged at Tahrir square , I will these photos were taken on last May 27.
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| Ilan at Tahrir on May 27 |
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| Grapel holding the anti Obama sign Check the links above |
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| During the war |
The young man from Bronx joined Hasbara and learned Arabic to defend Israel in anti-Israeli environment. Here is a screen cap about the Israel project’s media fellowship in Summer 2008 slideshow.
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| From the slide show of The Israel project in 2008 |
Based on these facts Grapel is an Israeli/American , I do not know if the American embassy will interfere or not.
In his own Facebook profile , Grapel claims that he preaches in Al Ahzar . Allegedly he claimed that he converted to Islam.There were photos for him in Al Azhar. It is claimed that he tried to penetrate the Muslim brotherhood.
He got 537 friends and because of curiosity I just looked through his friend list and found that interesting Arabic name “The Searcher for truth”. That friend whose profile is private , posted a question privately about learning the Islamic Sharia through “Paltalk”. When someone mentions the word “Paltalk” and religion in one sentence I reach for my gun immediately. This is a trivial side mark.
Needless to say the media coverage and the language of the statements issued in the Egyptian press are not helping the trust issue in Egypt especially between young skeptic generations online. This case comes after the case of the Iranian diplomat accused of spying who was deported on the same plane of the public diplomacy delegation heading to Tehran. It also comes after the return of Egyptian gas to Israel. There is no doubt that this case can affect foreign journalists badly in Egypt again considering the fact Grapel is a journalist and according to reports Grapel is not alone and he got a ring of reporters in Alexandria and Cairo.
Personally I am not be surprised to know there are spies from country x or Y or Z in Egypt knowing the fact that the fall of Mubarak was like an earthquake in the region , I will not be surprised at all. We will be fooling ourselves if we think otherwise. This is one point.
Another point which unfortunately we are not paying attention this is the second Hasabra Orphan to visit Tahrir square after Bernard Henri Levy !! I do not know if our revolutionaries are paying attention to the fact that BHL's photos were used to stain both the Egyptian and Libyan revolution especially by Mubarak orphans.
Of course some of our tweep revolutionaries are turning it in to a comedy in a way that amazed me as a person , it seems that they hate to think even in the possibility that there could be spies among us like any other county as if Egypt is not that important and what happened was nothing in strategic terms. Our revolutionary tweeps ignore the fact that this incident could harm Tahrir square as well as they hate to admit that this incident will raise from the stake of SCAF and GIS high in the street. "Ironically people are saying that Police should learn from GIS"
I hate to say it but there is difference between opposing SCAF for political reasons and acting in this way which I can't find a word to describe it.
Anyhow I think we should stop exporting gas to Israel if Ilan is convicted. If Ilan is found guilty , he will be imprisoned in Egypt "at Tora land" till he is extradited in some sort of deal. "Usually in return of Egyptians"
The Israeli embassy was informed by the case and is required to provide its citizen with a lawyer. The last time the Israeli embassy hired a lawyer to defend one of its citizens accused of espionage , it hired none other Farid El-Deeb , Hosni Mubarak’s lawyer.
The most famous and earliest espionage and terrorism cases in Egypt was the Lavon affair which took place in 1954 where the Israeli Mossad bombed Western and American targets in Egypt to create instability in country from one side and to create a crisis between the Free officers government and the west from another side.
Tonight all talk shows dedicated a segment for the 4th alleged spy to be arrested after the revolution. According to Lt.General Hassan El-Rawany of the centralized zone in Cairo Today show the spy’s mission was to create a rift between the army and the people. Hala Sarhan reminded us that Israel won’t leave us alone while Reem Maged stated that the intelligence , the army and the people are one hand. “The police is out of the equation as usual”
National security expert and former intelligence officer Sameh Seif El-Yazal promised Mona El Shazly on Dream TV 2 that he would send to the show tomorrow a photocopy from Grapel’s Israeli passport as he got it a copy from GIS. He ended his talk in the segment about the alleged spy saying that that we should expect more good news soon.
I think all Egyptians need more good news soon for real.