Netanyahu 'requests' Putin to release Issachar over phone call

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the telephone on December 26. Along with exchanging wishes on Hanukkah, the two leaders discussed Iran, the situation in Syria and Issachaar's release. According to the official statement by Israeli PM's office, Netanyahu 'again requested' Putin for the release of Israeli-American Naama Issachar. 

Issachar was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for drug smuggling after less than 10 grams of cannabis was found in her luggage during her stopover at Moscow while travelling from India to Israel. The phone call with Putin was an Israeli initiative to talk about topics on the regional agenda as well as bilateral relations in the framework of Putin's visit to Israel in January 2020. 

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Isaachaar's release from Prison

Putin will reportedly attend the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem on January 23 along with other world leaders and Netanyahu is pushing the release of Issachar by then. However, neither Netanyahu's tweet nor the official statement mentioned the Russian President's response to Israeli PM's request. This phone call came after a day Netanyahu called the Israeli-American's sentence as 'absurd' and pointed out that Putin can release prisoners and called his relationship with Russian President as 'unique'. 

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Issachar has said that she did not put the drugs in her suitcase, however, Moscow court rejected her appeal last week. The Israeli-American's mother has also thanked Netanyahu soon after the phone call between both leaders and said that several days of insisting have led to Issachaar lighting a Hannukiah and Rabbi Shaul Deutch, a Chabad emissary in Russia was able to bring her one jelly doughnut. 

Currently, Issachaar's legal team is preparing an appeal to the European Court for Human Rights and another appeal to Russian courts. Earlier this month, Netanyahu talked on the phone with United States President Donald Trump and discussed the 'threat from Iran' and other issues. 

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(With agency inputs)