Background
In 1991 she immigrated to Israel with her mother and joined a religious school in Jerusalem.
In 1991 she immigrated to Israel with her mother and joined a religious school in Jerusalem.
Born in Moscow to Igor Svetlov, an art critic and Svetlana Sorokina, a patent lawyer, Svetlova attended School 77 between 1984 and 1991. She later studied Islamic and Middle Eastern history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gaining bachelor"s and master"s degrees.
In 2002 she joined the Russian language "Israel Plus" channel as a commentator on Arab affairs She has also written for several newspapers and media outlets, including the Jerusalem Post, the Jerusalem Report, Haaretz and the British Broadcasting Corporation Russian Service. She has interviewed Yasser Arafat, Ahmed Yassin, and Mahmoud Abbas.
After her election, she was required to give up her Russian citizenship, which had been an asset to her past travel to the Arab world.
In an i24news interview, she stated her priority as an incoming MK would be advancing the peace process. She also pledged to work against racism and discrimination.
Once a Knesset member, she joined the Foreign affairs and Defense and Aliyah and Absorption committees, as well as heading three parliamentary caucuses: for the protection of Jews from Arab and Islamic countries heritage and culture, a caucus for freedom of speech and expression, and a caucus that supports strengthening the ties between Israel and the Kurdish nation.
Before the 2015 Knesset elections, she joined the Zionist Union (an alliance of the Labor Party and Hatnuah) and was placed 21st on the list, a slot reserved for a candidate chosen by Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni.