A special Israeli delegation has arrived in Cairo in order to negotiate the release of an Israeli-Arab man who has sat in Egyptian jail for 12 years over spy charges.

The Foreign Ministry delegation, headed by the "senior" official Bashir Abraham, is prepared to negotiate a deal with Cairo that would see Ouda Tarabin´s release in exchange for 63 Egyptian prisoners serving time in Israel, Egyptian daily Al Ahram reported.

Tarabin, 31, was arrested and tried in absentia by an Egyptian military court after the 19-year-old Beduin was caught crossing the border illegally from Israel in order to visit family in the Sinai peninsula.

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison by an Egyptian court for allegedly trying to recruit his sister´s husband, who lives in the northern Sinai city of El-Arish, to spy on military posts in Egypt, according to Al Ahram.

Egypt released another Israeli prisoner, Ilan Grapel, late last year, after the 27-year-old dual US-Israeli citizen was in jail on espionage charges for a little over four months. He was released in exchange for 25 non-security Egyptian prisoners.

Deputy Regional Development Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) had asked US Ambassador Dan Shapiro to demand that Cairo release Tarabin along with Grapel.

Kara called it "unthinkable" that Tarabin, who had served 11 years in Egyptian prison at the time, would not get the same treatment as Grapel. Lahav Harkov contributed to this report (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 03/28/12)