An Israeli formerly jailed in Egypt on espionage charges may enter politics. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Likud party has invited Azzam Azzam, who returned to Israel last week after serving eight years of a 15-year sentence, to join up, but it is not clear if he will be offered a senior position, political sources said Sunday. Azzam, who denied the spy charges, credited Sharon and senior government ministers for convincing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to grant his early release. A member of the minority Druse sect, Azzam gave Sharon an important prestige boost ahead of last Thursday’s Likud Central Committee vote approving coalition talks with the opposition Labor party.
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