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Netanyahu's security cabinet to vote on Israel-Egypt prisoner swap

Israel Materials 25 October 2011 15:15 (UTC +04:00)

Israel's security cabinet is to vote Tuesday on the deal to swap 25 Egyptian prisoners for suspected spy Israeli-American citizen Ilan Grapel, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told dpa.

Netanyahu's office announced that Israel and Egypt have agreed to the deal, which would need to be ratified by the security cabinet. The 14 senior ministers are not expected to oppose the deal.

Israel has said that none of the 25 Egyptian prisoners up for release, including three minors, were jailed for security-related offences.

According to Netanyahu's spokesman, Mark Regev, the 25 were jailed for criminal offences and included "people who crossed the border illegally, drug traffickers and human traffickers."

Grapel, a US-based law student who previously served in the Israel Defence Forces, was arrested in Cairo in June on suspicion of spying and of trying to stir internal division in Egypt. His family said he was in Egypt on an internship and had been helping refugees in the country.

The US helped to broker the Israel-Egypt deal for his release.

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