Two Israeli Arab sisters, ages 67 and 69, have been arrested in Beirut, according to a report posted on the website of the Hizbullah terrorist-linked al-Manar television network.
The two women were picked up by Lebanon's Internal Security forces Wednesday at Beirut International Airport as they were boarding a plane for the United States, where the younger sister, Josefin Moussa, resides. The older sister, Georgette, reportedly lives in Israel. The two were taken into custody after a search of their luggage revealed their Israeli passports.
The women arrived in Lebanon last week, several days before the country's national elections took place on Sunday. Georgette Moussa admitted to voting in the June 7 parliamentary election in a Christian Maronite neighborhood of the Lebanese capital. The younger sister, Josefin, who also is a U.S. citizen, apparently did not vote.
Both women had entered the country on Lebanese passports. Georgette's Israeli passport reportedly indicated that she originally held Jordanian citizenship.
It is illegal for Israeli citizens to travel to Lebanon, which is considered an enemy nation and which has no formal diplomatic relations with the State of Israel.
The intelligence unit responsible for interrogating the two women is the same group that has been investigating an alleged network of spies linked to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, according to the report. More than a dozen suspects have been rounded up over the past several months, including several high-ranking Lebanese army officers.
Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman said officials were looking into the report.
The election resulted in the incumbent pro-Western government's renewal of its majority, albeit by a relatively narrow margin.
'Poor Old Ladies'
Chatter on internet forums about the incident has been lively and in some instances, fierce.
"Many Arabs who live in Israel have an Israeli passport. There is nothing to hide about it. Arabs even have deputies elected in the Knesset," pointed out the moderator of a forum on the Lebanese-Forces.org website. "In the past the border was open and many Lebanese lived in Palestine and many still live there. So what is the big hoopla about it? Why a Lebanese Christian can't go [sic] to the sacred place in Jerusalem while Muslim Arabs are allowed to do so?"
"Poor old ladies," commented another forum member.
But, "If they're coming to vote, they are no stranger to how things are here," observed another, whose location was also not revealed.
"Maybe they were forced to flee there and were returning home," speculated a writer from Montreal. "If they wanna arrest 'collaborators' they should start with the millions of Arabs… who openly and many proudly host their Israeli Zionist passports."