Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to pardon Naama Issachar, an American Israeli woman sentenced to 7.5 years in jail for a few grams of cannabis found in her luggage at a Moscow airport.
Issachar was arrested in April after Russian police discovered 9 grams (0.3 oz) of cannabis in her bags during a layover in flights from India to Israel.
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In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for Netanyahu said the prime minister, along with President Reuven Rivlin, jointly sent an official request to Putin to pardon Issachar and repatriate her to Israel.
Issachar's case has sparked public interest in Israel, especially since the Moscow airport is a popular transit hub for Israeli backpackers, like the jailed 26-year-old, visiting India and southeast Asia.
Since the story first broke, meanwhile, Israeli travelers appear hesitant to travel through Moscow.
Research conducted by travel website Travelist, at the request of Israel Hayom, showed a sharp drop of over 40% in purchased flights with layovers in Russia since her sentencing last Friday, compared to the previous week.
Russian airline Aeroflot, one of the more popular among Israeli travelers looking for cheap flights to the Far East and the United States, was particularly affected by the current trend, even if only temporarily. Travelist reported a 14% drop in purchased Aeroflot flights via Russia.
Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin, who also heads the Economic Commission for Coordination between Israel and Russia, has advised Israelis traveling abroad to think twice before purchasing flights with stopovers in Russia.
