In a surprise move today, Israel announced the reprieve and release of Amal Kanj, a prominent Druze leader on the Golan Heights who was sentenced last year to 23 years’ imprisonment for spying on behalf of Syria. Kanj, who was once a member of the Syrian parliament, returned to his home at Majdal Shams on the slopes of Mt, Hermon in Israel-administered territory. There was no indication that his release was connected with the POW exchange. The Druze leader had been convicted of sheltering Syrian agents, providing Syria with Israeli intelligence data and illegally crossing the border into Syria to contact Syrian agents.
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