From observing, studying and commenting on the events in this troubled region, Elizabeth Tsurkov comes to star, much to her regret, in a case that greatly worries both her country and, above all, her family. This Israeli academic, who also has Russian nationality, was kidnapped by a pro-Iranian militia four months ago in Iraq, Israel has revealed.
“I last spoke to her in March before her kidnapping. It was a normal conversation. Every time I sent her photos of my son, she responded, but on that occasion, after 12 hours without an answer, I realized something was wrong. We kicked her out. I miss her,” said her sister Emma sadly shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that it is in the hands of the pro-Iranian Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah on Iraqi soil.
“Elizabeth Tsurkov is still alive and we consider Iraq responsible for her fate and safety,” says the official statement about a country that does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. Within the framework of her studies, the academic arrived in Baghdad with her Russian passport as she has already done to other countries, such as Syria, which do not recognize Israel and consider themselves its enemies.
“She is not a Mossad agent,” Israeli sources clarify to dispel doubts and suspicions that could complicate her release. In Jerusalem, the fact that she is a Russian national and was in Iraq because of her doctorate from Princeton University is expected to contribute to a happy outcome. In other words, it is not just about a Jewish Israeli kidnapped by an armed group in the orbit of Israel’s great enemy (Iran) but about a respected expert in the region who is also a Russian citizen and conducts research for a prestigious American university.
“We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being and we are anxious that he can be reunited with his family and resume his studies,” Princeton University spokesman Michael Hotchkiss has reacted to the disappearance of one of his academics whom he praised.
Beyond Israel through various channels, the US and, to a lesser extent, Russia maintain contacts and efforts to achieve their release. According to The New York Times, Tsurkov was kidnapped near her home in Baghdad after returning from a coffee shop in the Karada neighborhood. The newspaper adds that during her stay in Iraq she had to undergo urgent back surgery.
It is believed that she was kidnapped on March 26. Israel found out a few days later and from the information obtained from her it is believed that she is fine and that she has not been transferred to Iran.
Kataib Hezbollah is a major radical Shiite organization in Iraq that was created in 2007 with financial and military support from Iran. Included in the US list of terrorist groups, it is under the control of the Quds Force, the paramilitary arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
“Despite the fact that she did something wrong like entering Iraq as an Israeli with all the risks that this entails, we try to help her in this difficult situation and we will do everything we can to achieve her release,” Israeli sources add.
Tsurkov was born 37 years ago in Saint Petersburg. At the age of four he immigrated to Israel with his family. After doing compulsory military service, he obtained a degree in International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Later he continued his studies at Tel Aviv University and Princeton.
His passion that he turned into a profession was studies related to Islam and the countries of the region, especially Syria, Iraq and Turkey. As they assure in his environment and certify his work, he had special sensitivity for the situation of minorities in Arab countries and for human rights.
“My research is based on the desire to understand and convey the views and experiences of people in the Middle East and highlight abuses committed by powerful actors, be they dictatorial regimes, armed groups or foreign countries intervening in the region” , he explains on his website.
“As a methodical researcher in the Middle East, it was very important for her to understand how simple people on the street perceive the political processes that are taking place around them. She felt that it is impossible to carry out a remote investigation by zoom, but you have to go to the place,” she says. his sister. Her mother, Irena, assures her that she thought she was in Turkey because of her research work at Princeton.
Tsurkov has almost 80,000 followers on Twitter. His last message – dated March 21 – alluded to a Kurdish protest demonstration in northern Syria after the death of five Kurdish civilians at the hands of the Jaysh al Sharqiya militia.
Precisely on Twitter he made a comment in 2021 that today takes on dramatic relevance. Following the release of an Israeli who crossed the Syrian border and was captured, she wrote: “I am generally opposed to the hostage swap (also if I get in trouble on my next visit to Syria/Iraq).” Two years later, unfortunately her prophecy has been fulfilled.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project