Princeton grad student kidnapped for over 900 days in Iraq has been released, Trump says
CBS16 hrs
Princeton Academic Released from Militia Captivity in Iraq
Above: Members of the Palestinian Prisoners Committee hold a rally in Gaza City on July 17, 2023. Image copyright: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Israel narrative
Tsurkov's abduction by Kata'ib Hezbollah highlights how Iran-backed terror groups weaponize hostages to intimidate democracies and target Jews abroad. Kidnapping a Jewish Israeli scholar, studying at Princeton, underscores the militia's antisemitic ideology and Iran's regional destabilization strategy. It shows no Israeli civilian — academic or not — is safe where Iranian proxies operate.
Pro-Iran narrative
Tsurkov was no neutral academic but part of the Israeli Occupation Forces-to-human rights activist pipeline. She previously served in the Israeli military, used a Russian passport to enter states hostile to Israel, and was aiding Western intervention. She was a security threat, and her Princeton research was a cover for intelligence gathering in Iraq and Syria.