Russia has mediated an unusual prisoner exchange that saw Syria release an Israeli woman who crossed into the country on Thursday, Israeli officials say.
The whole picture: The two weeks leading up to the agreement involved an appeal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the capture of two Syrian shepherds by Israel as bargaining chips and the refusal of a Syrian prisoner to leave prison as part of the agreement. .
The story behind it: A 20-year-old Israeli woman passed through the Golan Heights in Syria two weeks ago, entered a village and started talking to the locals.
- It appears that someone alerted the Syrian army that an Israeli had wandered into the village because she had been arrested and taken for questioning by Syrian intelligence officers.
- The Syrians initially suspected that she was a spy, as did Israeli officials who heard that an Israeli woman had been captured. But it soon became clear that she was a civilian.
- The Syrians notified Russian forces in Syria, informing the Israelis of the complete situation. At that time, the Israelis clarified that they saw this as a humanitarian issue and called on the Russians to facilitate an agreement.
The Syrians agreed quickly at the idea of a prisoner exchange, but the trial was delayed in two weeks due to a series of complications.
- The Russians initially tried to extend talks, calling on Israel to stop its airstrikes in Syria on the grounds that it would make it difficult to transport humanitarian aid. In addition to Netanyahu’s call for Putin, Israeli Defense and Foreign Ministers also spoke with their Russian counterparts.
- Finally, an agreement was reached: Israel will release two Syrians convicted of terrorism-related crimes and provide Syria with COVID-19 assistance.
- On Wednesday, Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat traveled to Moscow, where the Israeli woman had already been taken. An Israeli doctor considered her to be in good health and ready to travel.
But then there was an obstacle. One of the prisoners said he would rather remain in an Israeli prison for the remaining 14 years of his term than be deported to Syria, Israeli officials say.
- However, Israeli soldiers had already been sent to the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in search of chips. They had waited for two shepherds to pass through an Israeli enclave and catch them.
- Syria has finally agreed to change the Israeli woman for shepherds. They were released on Thursday and a plane left Israel to bring the woman home.
Behind the scenes: The incident has been kept under a strict gag order for the past two weeks, due to fears that any press reports could sabotage the agreement.
- On Tuesday, the Israeli cabinet met urgently under a veil of secrecy. The ministers themselves did not know what it was about until they reached the prime minister’s office and were asked to sign non-disclosure forms.
- The Israeli military censor forbade the Israeli press to report any details about the Cabinet meeting beyond the fact that it took place, leading to speculation across the country about what happened.
Between the lines: It is still unclear what caused the Israeli citizen to cross the border.
- Israeli officials say she studied Arabic and was previously stopped trying to cross the border into Gaza.
- “He looks like a person in need of adventure,” an Israeli official told me.
What’s next: She is expected to be questioned by Israeli security services on her return to assess why she traveled to Syria.