How could an Israeli woman “mistakenly” cross the border with Syria in the Golan region? Tel Aviv negotiated, Wednesday February 17, the release of this citizen on “humanitarian” bases through Russia, ally of Damascus. In an interview with military radio, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, contented himself with asserting that he “Was working to save a life”, in “Using [ses] connections with the president [russe, Vladimir] Putin “.
The two men have spoken in recent days, as have their foreign ministers. Meir Ben-Shabbat, the boss of Shin Beth, the domestic intelligence service, visited Moscow briefly on Wednesday with the coordinator for prisoners of war and missing soldiers, Yaron Blum.
Tuesday evening, Mr. Netanyahu convened an exceptional council of ministers on the issue. Then the government banned the Israeli press from publishing this information. According to the daily Yediot Aharonot, the young woman, in her twenties, is said to be from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish colony of Modiin-Illit, in the West Bank. She would have broken with her community and would be “Fell in love with a Syrian citizen”. Defining herself as an activist for peace, she would have tried in the past to enter the Gaza Strip, under Israeli blockade.
No explanation
The army did not explain how a civilian was able to cross a highly guarded border, open to an area where Israel seeks in particular to guard against the activity of local militias linked to Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran. According to Syrian state media, the young woman was arrested shortly after crossing the Kuneitra crossing point.
The outcome of these negotiations appears to have been delayed by the refusal of the two prisoners requested by Damascus to reach the Syrian capital.
As a price for his release, Damascus demanded the return of two Syrian prisoners from Israel. A modest request, which indicates that the young woman was well considered as a civilian. The outcome of these negotiations, however, appears to have been delayed by the refusal of the two prisoners requested by Damascus to reach the Syrian capital. According to the Syrian media, both preferred to stay in their villages of origin, on the part of the Golan Heights conquered in 1967 by Israel, then annexed in 1981.
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