 He was arrested in December 1972 and sentenced to 17 years in prison in March 1973 on charges of treason.He was released on May 20, 1985 as part of the "Galilee" prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command.After his release, he published a collection of poems he wrote while behind bars called "the Wind of Struggle" () as well as his memoirs "Rebel from the Arab East" ().