France grants conditional release to PFLP terrorist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah

France to release terrorist who killed US and Israeli diplomats

A French court has ordered the conditional release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who has been in prison for over 40 years for the 1982 murders of US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov.

NOV 18, 2024 17:15

1 min read

Palestinian militants from the Ansar brigade, the military wing of the Palestinian Freedom Movement, take part in a military drill in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on January 1, 2023. — Photo: Shutterstock

Abdallah, who has been incarcerated since 1984 and was convicted of murder in 1987, will be released on December 6, provided he leaves France.

French anti-terror prosecutors have announced that they will appeal the court's decision, which means the release remains uncertain. Abdallah, now 73, has never expressed remorse for his crimes and has consistently maintained that he was fighting for Palestinian rights. His release request is his 11th, and while a previous bid for release in 2013 was blocked, this ruling marks a significant step towards his freedom.

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The United States has long opposed his release, while Lebanese authorities have actively campaigned for it. Abdallah's supporters, including far-left groups in France, argue that his imprisonment is politically motivated, and his continued incarceration has drawn public protests.

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