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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: January 25, 2006 |
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An Israeli Druse man was indicted Tuesday on charges that he illegally crossed into Lebanon and gave sensitive information to Hezbollah guerrillas there.
Jamil Abu Salah, 23, of the northern Israeli village of Ein al-Asad, gave Hezbollah information about his hometown and other villages, even drawing a map of the area, according to the indictment filed in the Haifa District Court. Abu Salah also told Hezbollah about two relatives who serve in the Israeli police and prison departments, according to the court.
Abu Salah agreed to give more information and maps to Hezbollah when he returned to Israel, the indictment said. Abu Salah's family said Hezbollah held him hostage for 10 months and he had no information to give them. They accused Israel of not doing enough to help Abu Salah.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which operates in Lebanon, has provided money and arms to Palestinian militants and occasionally attacks Israel over the Lebanese border. Most members of Israel's Druse minority, who adhere to a secretive offshoot of Islam, serve in the army and support the state.
Abu Salah allegedly entered Lebanon last February through the village of Ghajar, which is divided between Israel and Lebanon, police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said. Upon entering Ghajar, he signed a police document promising not to enter Lebanon, the indictment says.
"He went abroad on his own actions and he made contact (with Hezbollah)," Rosenfeld said. "He was involved in transferring information to the enemy."
He was arrested in December after he returned to Israel.
Abu Salah's family said he was mentally unstable after a breakup with his girlfriend when he entered Lebanon. They said he went looking for help at a Beirut police station and was turned over to Hezbollah, which held him for about 10 months.
His father, Salah, said he notified police when his son left home last February because the family worried about him. Israeli security sources later told them that Abu Salah was in Lebanon, Salah Abu Salah said.
"We were upset because the state didn't do anything to save him," he said.
Salah Abu Salah said his son feared for his life, and didn't have anything important to tell Hezbollah. |
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