Militant Freed After 40 Years, Returns to Lebanon Amid US Condemnation

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a Lebanese pro-Palestinian communist militant convicted for his role in the 1982 murders of a U.S. and an Israeli diplomat, arrived in Lebanon on Friday to a hero's welcome after being released from a French prison where he was held for over four decades. The release, conditioned on his permanent departure from France, was met with strong condemnation from the United States, which called the decision a betrayal of the victims' memory.

The 74-year-old Abdallah landed at the Beirut airport, his freedom secured by a Paris Court of Appeal ruling last week. The court ordered that Abdallah, who had been imprisoned since his arrest in 1984, could be released on the condition that he leave French territory and never return. He had been serving a life sentence handed down in 1987 for complicity in the assassinations of U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Ray, an assistant military attaché, and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.

The United States government voiced its unequivocal opposition to the release. The U.S. Embassy in Paris posted a photo on the social media platform X showing staff members standing with bowed heads around a memorial plaque for Lt. Col. Ray.

“The United States opposes the release of convicted terrorist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah,” the embassy’s post stated. “His release not only endangers the safety of U.S. diplomats abroad, but also betrays the memory of the victims and their families.”

Abdallah had been eligible for parole since 1999, but multiple previous requests had been denied.

While the U.S. mourned, a celebratory atmosphere prevailed outside the Beirut airport. Although there was no official state event, a large crowd of supporters, including several members of Parliament, gathered to greet him. Some banged on drums while others held Palestinian and Lebanese Communist Party flags. One banner read, “George Abdallah is free — a Lebanese, Palestinian and international freedom fighter on the road to liberating Palestine.” Flags of the militant group and political party Hezbollah were also seen among supporters lining the highway.

The crowd broke into cheers upon confirmation that the plane carrying Abdallah had arrived. Wearing a Palestinian scarf and a red shirt, Abdallah briefly stopped to greet his supporters before departing for his hometown of Qobayat, a Christian village in northern Lebanon. In Lebanon, many view Abdallah as a political prisoner.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Abdallah called for Arab populations to protest over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. “Gaza’s children, all of them are walking skeletons, while millions of Arabs are just watching,” he said. He also called for confrontation with Israel, stating it is “living the last chapters of its existence.”

There was no official statement from Israel on Abdallah's release.