Last week, the Israeli government confirmed that a researcher named Elizabeth Tsurkov has been held captive in Iraq, most likely by the Iran-backed militia Kitaeb Hizballah—an offshoot of the similarly named Lebanon-based terrorist group. Tsurkov, a dual Russian and Israeli citizen, is currently a graduate student at Princeton University, and had traveled to the Middle East to pursue her academic research. Hussain Abdul-Hussain comments:
Anti-Western regimes have always used hostage-taking as a tactic to blackmail Western governments. . . . After a nuclear deal was signed in 2015 between the international community and Iran, Tehran freed all Westerners in its custody. Since then, Iran has taken thirteen new Western hostages, eleven of whom are of Iranian origin. From time to time, Tehran offers to “swap prisoners” with the U.S., Canada, and European countries, or asks for some American concessions, mainly sanctions relief, in return for releasing one or more hostages.
Baghdad enjoys strong ties with Washington and does not need to take hostages to extract concessions. On the contrary, [the kidnapping] shows that, in Iraq, the government cannot guarantee the safety of foreign tourists or residents. This is why it is imperative for Baghdad to take custody of Tsurkov.
America has invested a lot in Iraq. . . . As a close ally, it would be wise for Washington to impress on Baghdad that Tsurkov should be freed, not for the sake of Israel, but for the image of Iraq as a sovereign country where law and order are upheld by courts and law-enforcement agencies.
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