Five embassies in Baghdad push for the release of kidnapped Israeli Tsurkov
Shafaq News/ Diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli citizen kidnapped in Iraq in 2023, have intensified.
According to the Times of Israel newspaper, diplomatic representatives met with Elizabeth Tsurkov's family, with Israel requesting envoys from the US, UK, Germany, Austria, and Canada to use their embassies in Baghdad to advocate with the Iraqi government and explore avenues for initiating negotiations.
Israeli media quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Israel has no diplomatic relations with Iraq and must depend on its allies. “We hope other nations will suggest assistance in helping us release Elizabeth. Many nations have embassies and contacts with the Iraqi government,” the official stated anonymously.
Citing unnamed sources familiar with the details, an earlier Israeli report stated that the aim is to advance indirect discussions with Baghdad to secure Tsurkov's release. It also pointed out that this is the "first public indication of Israel's efforts to free Tsurkov through intermediaries."
The same senior diplomatic official, was quoted as saying that he hopes the recent regional developments, including the decision by Iran-backed Iraqi forces to cease attacks on Israel, "will create an opportunity to bring Elizabeth (Tsurkov) home."
Iraqi media affiliated with Shiite militant groups had released a video of Tsurkov in 2023, in which she claimed to be working for both the Israeli Mossad and US intelligence agencies in Iraq and Syria. In the video, she stated that her activities in Iraq focused on "stirring discord by organizing protests to incite a Shiite-Shiite conflict."
The Associated Press had reported that Tsurkov, entered Iraq under her Russian nationality as part of an academic mission from Princeton University, with her research focusing on the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria. She disappeared in Baghdad while conducting her research, and the Israeli government accused Hezbollah Brigades of being behind her abduction.
