Russia has brokered an unusual prisoner exchange in which Syria released an Israeli woman who entered the country on Thursday, Israeli officials say.
The big picture: The two weeks leading up to the deal included an appeal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s imprisonment of two Syrian herders as bargaining chip, and a Syrian prisoner’s refusal to leave prison as part of the deal . .
The backstory: An Israeli woman in her twenties crossed into Syria through the Golan Heights two weeks ago, entered a village and started talking to locals.
- Someone apparently warned the Syrian army that an Israeli had walked into the village because she had been arrested and taken for questioning by Syrian intelligence officers.
- The Syrians initially suspected she was a spy, as did Israeli officials who learned that an Israeli woman had been arrested. But it soon became clear that she was a civilian.
- The Syrians notified the Russian forces in Syria, who informed the Israelis of the full situation. At the time, the Israelis made it clear they saw this as a humanitarian issue and asked the Russians to facilitate a deal.
The Syrians quickly agreed on the idea of a prisoner exchange, but the process was dragged out over two weeks due to a series of complications.
- The Russians initially tried to broaden the discussions, asking Israel to curb its airstrikes in Syria because they hinder the transport of humanitarian aid. In addition to Netanyahu’s appeal to Putin, Israel’s defense and foreign ministers also spoke with their Russian counterparts.
- In the end, an agreement was reached: Israel would 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 a catch. One of the prisoners said he would rather stay in an Israeli prison for another 14 years 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 negotiation tokens. They had waited for two shepherds to enter an Israeli enclave and take them prisoner.
- Syria eventually agreed to exchange the Israeli wife for the shepherds. They were released on Thursday and a jet plane took off from Israel to take the woman home.
Behind the scenes: The incident has been held under strict injunction for the past two weeks due to concerns that press releases could sabotage the deal.
- On Tuesday, the Israeli cabinet met urgently under a veil of secrecy. The ministers themselves did not know what this was about until they arrived at the prime minister’s office and were asked to sign confidentiality forms.
- The Israeli military censor forbade the Israeli media to report any details about the cabinet meeting beyond the fact that it took place, leading to country-wide speculation as to what had happened.
Between the lines: It is still unclear what prompted the Israeli citizen to cross the border.
- Israeli officials say she had studied Arabic and previously stopped trying to cross the border crossing into Gaza.
- “She seems like a person who needs adventure,” an Israeli official told me.
What’s next: She is expected to be questioned by Israeli security forces upon her return to assess why she traveled to Syria.