Abdel Karim Obeid
Encyclopedia
Abdel Karim Obeid is a sheik
and Imam
of the village of Jibchit in south Lebanon
, high-place of Lebanese Shiism.
Regarded as the spiritual leader and soldier of the 'Islamic Amal' (no relation with the similarly named secular Resistance movement Amal
, except for both catered to the lebanese shia community) in the south of Tyre, close to Hizballah and related to the operations of capturing western hostages since 1982. He was captured on 28 July 1989 by an Israeli commando. Danny Abdalla, a Lebanese criminal living in Denmark
, who also admitted to having killed Ragheb Harb
on behalf of the Israelis, claimed to have participated in the kidnapping of Abdul Karim Obeyd. As a result, Hizbollah put him on their death list, and he is wanted in Lebanon. He was a long time held prisoner in Israel
in the famous prison 1391
, near the green line
, and later transferred to the Ashmoret penitentiary, located near Kfar Yona, north of Tel Aviv
.
In exchange of its release, Israel required information on the fate of the navigator Ron Arad
(crashed in Southern Lebanon in Octoberr 1986) at first, and later on for the bodies of the three soldiers abducted by Hizballah in October 2000 at the Israeli-Lebanese border and for an Israeli business man captured at the same time elsewhere.
He was released in January 2004 with twenty other Lebanese prisoners, 400 Palestinian
prisoners and a number of other nationals, as part of a deal to get the abducted soldiers and civilians back. He thanked Hizballah and Iran
ian leaders for acting for his release
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
and Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the village of Jibchit in south Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, high-place of Lebanese Shiism.
Regarded as the spiritual leader and soldier of the 'Islamic Amal' (no relation with the similarly named secular Resistance movement Amal
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
, except for both catered to the lebanese shia community) in the south of Tyre, close to Hizballah and related to the operations of capturing western hostages since 1982. He was captured on 28 July 1989 by an Israeli commando. Danny Abdalla, a Lebanese criminal living in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, who also admitted to having killed Ragheb Harb
Ragheb Harb
Sheikh Ragheb Harb was a Lebanese resistance leader and Muslim cleric. He was born in Jebsheet, a village in the Jabal Amel region of Southern Lebanon. Harb was an imam and led regional resistance against Israeli occupation Shiite resistance until he was assassinated by Israelis on 16 February 1984...
on behalf of the Israelis, claimed to have participated in the kidnapping of Abdul Karim Obeyd. As a result, Hizbollah put him on their death list, and he is wanted in Lebanon. He was a long time held prisoner in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the famous prison 1391
Camp 1391
Camp 1391 is an Israel Defense Force prison camp for "high-risk" prisoners in northern Israel, run by Unit 504 and less than an hour's drive from Tel Aviv...
, near the green line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
, and later transferred to the Ashmoret penitentiary, located near Kfar Yona, north of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
In exchange of its release, Israel required information on the fate of the navigator Ron Arad
Ron Arad (pilot)
Lieutenant Colonel Ron Arad , was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer who is officially classified as missing in action since October 1986, but is widely presumed dead...
(crashed in Southern Lebanon in Octoberr 1986) at first, and later on for the bodies of the three soldiers abducted by Hizballah in October 2000 at the Israeli-Lebanese border and for an Israeli business man captured at the same time elsewhere.
He was released in January 2004 with twenty other Lebanese prisoners, 400 Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
prisoners and a number of other nationals, as part of a deal to get the abducted soldiers and civilians back. He thanked Hizballah and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian leaders for acting for his release