Former Israeli Arab lawmaker suspected of spying for Hezbollah

Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet,announced on Wednesday that former Arab lawmaker Azmi Bishara is suspected of spying for Hezbollah guerrillas during the Second Lebanon War in last summer.

According to the suspicions against Bishara, the former Knesset ( Israeli parliament) member transferred to Hezbollah information, predictions, assessments and recommendations about Israel's political echelon, the Israel Defense Forces(IDF) and the Israeli public during last summer's Second Lebanon War, local daily Jerusalem Post reported.

Bishara, the Shin Bet said, also received from Hezbollah detailed missions, some of which were released Wednesday afternoon after the High Court lifted the gag order on the investigation.

According to the investigation, Bishara was also in contact with intelligence officials from other countries.

A joint police-Shin Bet investigation against Bishara has been carried out for months. The suspicions made public on Wednesday were only a fraction of those against Bishara collected by police during the investigation.

Reports of the investigation, whose details were initially under a strict court-imposed gag order, first emerged about a month ago.

After being investigated by police twice in March, Bishara had left Israel thanks to his parliamentary immunity.

Resigning from the Knesset at the Israeli embassy in Cairo last month, Bishara was travelling in Arab nations for fear of receiving what he said unfair trial if he returned now.

Bishara has denied all the allegations and accused police of conducting a witch hunt.

But he has vowed to return to Israel without telling the exact date.

Police said that Bishara will be arrested immediately if he returns to Israel.

According to a report of Israel Radio, the state prosecution was also weighing whether or not to issue an international arrest warrant for Bishara.

Source: Xinhua