Russia got an unusual prisoner exchange that saw Syria release an Israeli woman who crossed the country on Thursday, Israeli officials say.
The big picture: The two weeks leading up to the deal involved a call 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 background story: A twenty-year-old Israeli woman crossed into Syria two weeks ago through the Golan Heights, entered a village and began talking to local people.
- Apparently, someone alerted the Syrian military that an Israeli had passed through the village, because she was arrested and taken for questioning by Syrian intelligence officers.
- Syrians initially suspected she was a spy, as did Israeli officials who heard they had captured an Israeli woman. But it soon became clear that she was a civilian.
- The Syrians notified Russian Syrian forces, who informed the Israelis of the complete situation. At the time, the Israelis made it clear that they saw this as a humanitarian issue and called on the Russians to facilitate an agreement.
The Syrians quickly accepted to the idea of a prisoner exchange, but the process dragged on for two weeks due to a series of complications.
- The Russians initially tried to expand the talks, calling on Israel to contain airstrikes in Syria on the grounds that they make transportation of humanitarian aid difficult. In addition to Netanyahu’s call with Putin, the Israeli defense and foreign ministers also spoke with their Russian counterparts.
- An agreement was finally reached: Israel would release two Syrians convicted of terrorism-related crimes and provide Syria with COVID-19 aid.
- 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 in good health and ready to travel.
But then there was a problem. One of the prisoners said he would rather stay in an Israeli prison for the remaining 14 years of his term than be deported to Syria, according to Israeli officials.
- However, Israeli soldiers had already been sent to the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in search of negotiation chips. They had waited for two shepherds to cross over to an Israeli enclave and capture them.
- Syria finally agreed to change the Israeli woman for the shepherds. They were released Thursday and a plane left Israel to take the woman home.
Behind the scenes: The incident remained under a strict gag order for the past two weeks due to concern that some press report might sabotage the deal.
- On Tuesday, the Israeli cabinet met urgently under a veil of secrecy. The ministers themselves did not know what it was until they arrived at the prime minister’s office and were asked to sign non-disclosure forms.
- The Israeli military censor banned Israeli media from reporting any details about the Cabinet meeting beyond the fact that it took place, prompting speculation across the country about what had happened.
Between lines: It is still unclear what led the Israeli citizen to cross the border.
- Israeli officials say he had studied Arabic and had previously stopped trying to cross the border fence into Gaza.
- “He looks like a person in need of adventure,” an Israeli official told me.
What follows: She is expected to be questioned by Israeli security services on her return to assess why she traveled to Syria.