Georges Abdallah, a 74-year-old Lebanese teacher who became a leftist symbol for the Palestinian cause, is set to be released from France today after 41 years in prison.
Longest-Held Prisoner in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict-Related Cases
Described by his lawyer as “the man who has spent the longest time in prison for events related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Abdallah is expected to travel directly to Beirut, Lebanon, upon his release, BBC television reports.
Convicted in 1987 for complicity in the assassinations of two diplomats in France – an American and an Israeli – Abdallah has gradually faded from wider public memory.
Recently interviewed by the French news agency AFP in his cell at Lannemazan prison, he stated that he maintained his mental well-being by focusing on the Palestinian struggle. “If I didn’t have that… well, it could turn your brain into mush,” he remarked.
The walls of his cell were adorned with a photograph of Che Guevara and postcards from his supporters around the world. His desk was piled high with newspapers.
From Revolutionary Factions to Decades in Prison
Born in 1951 into a Christian family in northern Lebanon, Abdallah helped found the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF) in the late 1970s. This small Marxist group was dedicated to fighting against Israel and its closest ally, the United States. At that time, Lebanon was embroiled in a civil war, and Israel had invaded southern Lebanon in 1978 and 1982 to combat Palestinian fighters there.
