Beirut, July 26 (V7N) – George Ibrahim Abdullah, a prominent pro-Palestinian revolutionary figure, has been released after spending 41 years in a French prison. He was convicted in connection with the 1982 killings of U.S. military officer Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yaakov Barsimantov in France. His release was conditioned on a permanent ban from re-entering France.

Abdullah arrived at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Friday, where he received a hero’s welcome. Hundreds of supporters gathered at the airport to celebrate his return, many chanting slogans and waving Palestinian flags. Emotional and draped in a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh, Abdullah addressed the media in the VIP lounge.

“We are moving towards victory against our enemies. We must fight until the end. Israel is in its final chapter and will cease to exist soon,” he declared, reaffirming his longstanding ideological stance.

Born in 1951 to a Christian family in Kobayat, northern Lebanon, George Ibrahim Abdullah moved to France to study philosophy at the University of Toulouse. There, he became involved with leftist and revolutionary movements, which shaped his political beliefs.

During the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s, Abdullah returned home and joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), a militant group aligned with anti-colonial and Palestinian nationalist causes. His association with the organization and armed resistance activities eventually led to his arrest in Lyon in 1984 and subsequent conviction in 1987.

Despite being eligible for parole multiple times since the late 1990s, his release had been repeatedly delayed due to political and legal complications. His case became a rallying point for pro-Palestinian activists and leftist groups in the Middle East and beyond.

Abdullah’s return marks the end of one of the longest incarcerations of a Lebanese political figure abroad, drawing significant attention across the region.

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