Netanyahu returns from Russia with backpacker freed from prison

In a dramatic gesture he hopes will boost his popularity ahead of the upcoming Israeli election, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned to Israel from Moscow on Thursday with a young backpacker released from prison after she had received a pardon from Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Israeli-American Naama Issachar (26) was arrested in April at a Moscow airport, where she was transferring en route from India to Israel, after 9 grams of cannabis were found in her luggage. She was sentenced to 7½ years in prison.

“Right now, all I’ve got to say is thank you to everyone. I’m still shocked by the whole situation,” she told reporters after landing home.

The campaign to free her from prison gained traction in Israel, partly in response to what was considered a very harsh sentence.

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Banners reading Bring Naama Home were hung along the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway and similar car stickers were very popular.

Mr Netanyahu used his friendly ties with Mr Putin to cut a deal, explaining that Issachar's arrest was a "land mine" that could have developed into dangerous tension between Israel and Russia, damaging Israel's vital interests.

In return for Mr Putin’s gesture, Israel is transferring Russian Orthodox Church property near the Old City of Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the Kremlin.

Mr Netanyahu flew to Moscow directly from Washington, where another world leader and close friend, US president Donald Trump, unveiled the US Middle East peace plan, considered extremely favourable to Israel.

Gratitude

At the start of the Kremlin meeting Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Putin for granting Issachar a pardon. “This moves all of us and our gratitude is on behalf of all Israeli citizens, from the heart,” he said.

Mr Putin said his decision to free Issachar was a humanitarian gesture and came after his meeting with her mother, Yaffa, in Jerusalem and a letter he received from the Jerusalem Russian Orthodox patriarch.

While basking in the media attention surrounding the return of Issachar, Mr Netanyahu received an embarrassing setback over his plans to speedily annex areas of the West Bank under the terms of Mr Trump’s “deal of the century” peace plan.

US officials made it clear there could be no annexation before the Israeli election on March 2nd and a joint American-Israeli committee must first review such a move, including drawing up detailed maps.

However, Mr Netanyahu is reportedly planning to pull another rabbit out of his hat before the election. He aims to clinch Mr Trump's approval for former US Navy intelligence officer Jonathan Pollard, who served 30 years in prison for providing sensitive intelligence to Israel, to move to Israel, where he is likely to be given a hero's welcome.