Netanyahu letter to Naama Issachar: We are not abandoning you

Putin to visit Jerusalem next week; PM has asked him to pardon Issachar by then.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Yaffa and Naama Issachar (photo credit: Courtesy)
Yaffa and Naama Issachar
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israel is working hard to free you, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter to Israeli-American citizen Naama Issachar on Monday.
In the letter written in his name and that of his wife, Sara, “from the depths of our hearts,” Netanyahu said he is “committed to bringing [Issachar] home soon.”
Issachar has been in a Russian prison since April for allegedly possessing 9.5 grams of cannabis in her luggage during a stopover in Moscow en route from India to Israel. Last month, a Russian court rejected an appeal of her seven-year prison sentence. Issachar says she did not put the drugs in her luggage.
“The citizens of the country are thinking of you,” Netanyahu wrote. “We will not abandon anyone to his or her fate, and the same goes for your case. The State of Israel and I are investing constant efforts to bring about your freedom.”
Netanyahu said he seeks to strengthen her in dealing with “the difficult challenge that has been forced upon you,” adding: “We all send you our great love and we are all united in the expectation to see you in Israel soon.”
He added in his handwriting: “With you always, until your release and after.”
Last month, Netanyahu called Russian President Vladimir Putin and asked for Issachar to be released. Putin, who has the authority to pardon prisoners, is set to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem next week, and Netanyahu has been pushing for Issachar to be released by then.
The prime minister spoke with Issachar’s mother, Yaffa Issachar, on Monday. She thanked him for the letter and said her daughter appreciated it and that it gave her great hope.
“I will continue to do everything to bring Naama home as soon as possible,” Netanyahu told Yaffa Issachar.


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