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The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a
meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this
week.
He said the envoys met the family of Elizabeth Tsurkov and that
Israel asked the representatives – from the U.S., U.K., Germany,
Austria and Canada – to have their embassies in Baghdad lobby
the Iraqi government and search for a way to start negotiations.
Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations. He said he
hopes other countries will help.
“We are counting on our allies,” the official said, speaking on
condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed-door
discussions. “And I hope that other nations will suggest
assistance in helping us release Elizabeth. Many nations have
embassies and contacts with the Iraqi government.”
Tsurkov, a 38-year-old student at Princeton University,
disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for
her doctorate. She had entered the country on her Russian
passport. The only sign she was alive has been a video broadcast
in November 2023 on an Iraqi television station and circulated
on pro-Iranian social media purporting to show her.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. But
Israel believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an
Iranian-backed Iraqi militia that it says also has ties to the
Iraqi government.
The Israeli official said that after months of covert efforts,
Israel believes the “changes in the region” have created an
opportunity to work publicly for her release.
During 15 months of war, Israel has struck Iran and its allies,
and Iran’s regional influence has diminished. Iraq also appears
to have pressured militia groups into halting their aerial
attacks against Israel.
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