Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Frees U.S.-Israeli Woman From Jail After Putin Pardon

Naama Issachar's case has shaken Russian-Israeli relations. Artyom Geodakyan / TASS

Russia freed a U.S.-Israeli woman on Thursday who had been jailed on drugs charges, after President Vladimir Putin granted her a pardon following a high profile lobbying campaign championed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Naama Issachar was released ahead of talks in Moscow between Putin and Netanyahu, who had flown in from Washington to pass on details of a U.S. peace plan for the Middle East.

Netanyahu thanked Putin for what he said was a "swift" decision to pardon Issachar. The prime minister later met Issachar in Moscow. Footage showed them hugging.

"We're excited to see you. Now we go back home," he told Issachar, according to a statement from his office. She was expected to fly to Israel later on Thursday aboard Netanyahu's plane.

The release of the New Jersey-born 26-year-old is seen as a boost for Netanyahu and as confirmation in both countries that Israeli-Russian ties remain strong. The Kremlin, before the meeting, said it was analysing the U.S. peace plan, which Palestinians have denounced as an Israeli wishlist.

Netanyahu, under criminal corruption indictment, faces an election on March 2 and has campaigned on his ability to protect Israel's interests abroad.

Israeli media have suggested that the pardon deal may have been eased by promises made by the Israeli government over the ownership of a building in Jerusalem which is important to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Alexander Courtyard, situated in Jerusalem's Old City, has been contested for years and an Israeli court recently ruled in Russia's favor.

TASS news agency reported earlier this month that Israel had told Russia it had begun the legal process of handing over the building to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Issachar was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after being arrested last April when police found nine grams of cannabis in her bags during a stopover at a Moscow airport on her way from India to Israel.

Her family called her treatment disproportionate and the case caused rare tensions between Russia and Israel.

"It has been a long journey that I would not wish upon anyone," Yaffa Issachar, Naama's mother, was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post, having travelled to Moscow for her daughter's release. "Now, all I want is to hug my daughter Naama." 

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more