WADSWORTH, OHIO — A professor who spent 22 days in an Israeli jail on suspicion of spying for Iran and Hezbollah said he’s struggling to return to a normal life. “I’m still facing the nightmare. I can’t sleep. I’m going to need some time to go back to my normal life,” said Ghazi Falah, 53, a geography professor at the University of Akron.
Falah was released July 30 and returned to the United States five days later. He planned a private party Saturday in his Wadsworth home “When I arrived home last week I was still in shock,” Falah said. “I still can’t believe that I am out of the jail.”
Falah, who said he was tied to a chair and questioned for 60 hours, said he was hoping to “close this circle of nightmare” with Saturday’s celebration.
Israeli authorities declined to comment, saying only that he was released based on the results of their investigation.
Falah is known for his writings on the borders of Israel and a future Palestinian state. He was held after taking photographs close to Israel’s border with Lebanon.
