A stranger, if he had visited Istanbul this week, would not have noticed any sign of drama centered on the Israeli couple Mordi and Natalie Oknin, who just came for a tour of the Turkish Bazaar, took some souvenir photos and were arrested on false suspicion of espionage for Israel - before being released Thursday morning.
Even on the TV channels there was almost no mention of the affair, and it is doubtful whether the people on the street had heard of what was happening.
The couple were released after a series of diplomatic actions under the radar, and boarded a plane on their way to Israel yesterday.
But it is doubtful whether the entanglement they got into, and fortunately ended in a good end, will prevent thousands of Israelis from continuing to visit Turkey, which has always been considered an attractive destination: Returning to a country where "everything is included" and a colorful bazaar have become its hallmarks for us.
The merchants are begging for tourists.
Istanbul Bazaar // Photo: GettyImages,
"I last visited here a few years ago, and the Turkish lira was worth about NIS 1.3. Today it is worth only 30 cents," says Izzat, a resident of the north. "Do you even understand the difference? In what other country would you sit in a cafe or a good restaurant and pay 10 shekels for a cup of coffee and cake? This is not real. In the markets I fill suitcases and bring children, shirts here cost pennies, even the suitcases I buy here." You guessed it, a week's price in Turkey will cost you like a night in a luxury hotel in Israel, only with us you will get a lower level of service and a problematic product. In Turkey you get a lot, in high quality - and cheaply. Very cheap, given the difficult economic situation in the country.
The Oknin couple were cut off from the world for a week and a half, but for Israel and Turkey, at the diplomatic level, it was ultimately a one-off event, and everyone had an interest in resolving it as soon as possible.
The Foreign Ministry in Israel spoke of good will on the part of the Turks from the very beginning, and of the need to give the local legal system the respect and time to do its job, without exerting too much pressure.
The secret channel was the favorite in the contacts between the parties from the very first moment, without making headlines in the media with statements that would turn out to be uncovered and would only make the efforts difficult.
Even after the release and the success of the diplomatic efforts, no one in Jerusalem agreed to say explicitly that President Erdogan was the one who gave the order to release the couple, or if there was any direct dialogue with him at all.
But in the end, in such cases it is permissible to guess that no decisions would have been made without his intervention on one level or another.
Dr. Asa Ophir, an expert on Turkey and Turkish history, freed from the shackles of diplomacy, says there is no doubt that "Erdogan was involved in the decision to release the Israelis, and the man who served as an operative on his behalf was Ibrahim Kalin, his personal associate. It can be estimated that without the President's word the whole story would not have ended. The most obvious thing from the way the affair came to an end, is that Erdogan decided that the damage that could be caused to him as a result of the continued possession of the Oknin couple outweighed any benefit he could have derived from the situation. He made a cold consideration, in which he put pros versus cons instead of acting from the belly, and realized that release would work in his favor.
"It is possible that the Turks used the incident to reach a certain level of dialogue with Israel. They tried to do so a few months ago and Israel returned a cold shoulder to them. Presumably they have now managed to find a sympathetic ear in Jerusalem for important issues for Ankara." It is assumed that the release and the way in which the contacts between the parties were conducted may lead to the initiation of a course of dialogue with Turkey.
An Israeli source, who previously held a senior position on behalf of Israel in Turkey, added that "anyone who thinks that the Turks did not receive anything in return is wrong, of course.
Even when Netanyahu released Naama Issachar, there was payment.
This weekend it can already be cautiously assumed that the couple may be innocent, but everything that happened is not as innocent as we initially thought.
"Turkey is not a place for Israelis in the near future, especially in light of the relative weakness that has been seen in the handling of this issue by the government."
Hold back with the selfie
The affair began when the Israeli couple arrived about a week and a half ago on a tour of the Kimalika Tower on the Asian side of Istanbul, which opened only last year, and photographed the landscapes.
Among other things, they documented the private residence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which is less than four kilometers away.
The documents were presented to each other and even sent the photos in the family WhatsApp group, marking the magnificent structure.
A waiter working in the tower heard the couple talking to each other about a photo of Erdogan's residence, reported it to the Istanbul police, and as a result, the presidential residence security unit and the Istanbul Anti-Terrorism Police went into operation. The couple were arrested, but only after about a week was an official statement made on the matter, by Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soilo. He said the local prosecution suspected the couple had committed a crime "which could be called 'military and political espionage'. While taking pictures, they also took Erdogan's residence. They not only photographed him but also focused on him."
But the Israelis who are currently spending time in Istanbul did not let the affair ruin their trip during the week. Smadar Yaron from the center of the country came to the city to walk with her husband, and on Friday evening, after it was decided to extend the couple's detention, she began receiving worried calls from relatives in Israel. "Look, the kids have called us twice since then and tried to convince us to come back early, but we assured them that not only would we not take pictures - we would not take pictures ourselves, and so we calmed them down a bit. "It's absurd because of a picture, but we decided to be more careful, not to argue with locals, especially not with taxi drivers who have already tried to oppress us. We hope nothing will happen, and we will continue to eat well and buy cheap nonsense."
Nir, who arrived with his family from Eilat, said that "friends and family asked me to be careful, but we were here several times, and all in all everyone we encountered here was fine."
But there are those who still felt the effect of the affair.
Yossi Tzarfati, a tour guide, says that the organized groups suffered a blow following the incident, and the number of orders dropped by half: "The announcement of the arrest greatly frightened the Israelis, and it is doubtful if anyone will tell you otherwise.
This affair 'cut' me the following groups.
"Turkey is in insane debt, and it is very strange to me that they are stopping tourists. This arrest raises very big question marks."
We waited patiently for nine days.
The Oknin couple // Photo: From Facebook,
The Turks have their own troubles
The relatively quick release of the Israeli couple indicates that the Turks have more important things to deal with. Turkey is at a crisis point like no other in two decades. Inflation is rampant, and the value of the Turkish lira is crashing into new abysses. Unemployment is skyrocketing, young people are leaving the country, the price of bread has risen by almost 50 percent, and even among sectors that once "were in President Erdogan's" pocket, there has been a steep decline in support for his continued rule.
The Turkish Institute for Social Security reported that 42 percent of Turkish citizens live on a minimum wage - about $ 270 a month. In order to further absorb the magnitude of the economic disaster, it is important to know that in most Western countries the rate of earning the minimum wage ranges from one to five percent.
Erdogan's dire economic situation and electoral weakness preoccupy the Turks far more than could have developed into a possible diplomatic confrontation with Israel. A poll by the Pierre Institute, one of the country's most respected bodies, found that in a possible parliamentary election, the coalition of Erdogan-backed parties has a three-tenths percent advantage over the opposition - an all-time low in support. All this, after more than a decade of raising the blocking percentage and legislation designed to make it harder for Erdogan's opponents to find their way to the legislature.
"Erdogan is in electoral dive. Even the people in Turkey who were once his ardent supporters, I hear they do everything to come down from power," explains Dr. Ophir. "The economy is in a very bad, and it erodes over time, Erdogan's power base."
More On his electoral weakness, stubborn rumors about the 67-year-old president's medical condition point to another possible problem that has troubled the man, who has ruled Turkey for nearly two decades. The intensity when he measures, falls or has difficulty standing upright.
However, while the official media in the country do not deal with the issue and refrain from discussing Erdogan's health condition, on social media surfers, including those close to the government, raise the possibility that he has difficulty functioning.
Erdogan responded to the rumor mill in a series of propaganda videos in which he is seen visiting sports fields and hanging out with young people, but even in them he lacks his familiar vigor and looks weak, and at times confused.
Despite the crisis in which the president finds himself, Dr. Ofir believes that the arrest of the Israelis was not a planned initiative of the authorities in order to distract from the difficult situation. In fact, he explains, the government deliberately kept the story on fire: Reported extensively - was not on the agenda of the Turkish media, which is hand-picked by Erdogan.
The story has not appeared in the headlines of the major newspapers in Turkey even once, nor in the headlines.
"From the point of view of the government there, it was not a political conflict. The expression of the alleged conflict existed with us, in Israel, where the detainees came from. Would have run for it.
"Eventually, in Turkey, everything drains to the tall man in the White Palace.
Despite what they will officially say, the judges have not determined the fate of the couple, it is quite clear.
Erdogan made the decision.
The act of the Oknin couple was reckless, and in other countries it could have ended in arrest and interrogation, and on the other hand, it is a country unique in its approach to Israel, a country that is not an enemy state, but also not a friend.
"If the time for finding the solution was getting longer and longer, it is possible that Erdogan would have decided to turn the story into an ax to dig with."
"There is nothing to fear"
An attempt to obtain any statements from the local Jews during the couple's arrest brought up pottery.
The few who remained preferred not to intervene in the matter, and to let the State of Israel and the Foreign Ministry handle the affair, because they, despite the many relatives everyone has in the country, are first and foremost Turks.
The Jewish community numbers about 15,000 people and is 2,600 years old, and members of the household have always felt at home here.
"We are not connected to the issue. There is a clear and important separation - Jews are Jews and Israelis are Israelis, and the interests are not always the same," one of the community's leaders told Israel Hashavua.
Ovadia "Obi" Yochai, who lives in Turkey, wanted to cool the atmosphere: "People today do not care about politics. People want peace, love, economy and of course smile. No need to worry, just come here and see. You have been here for a few days, and can see "It's really not dangerous and we love the tourists, and the Israelis in particular."
So after it all ended in peace, with minimal diplomatic damage and perhaps even an opening for warming relations between Turkey and Israel, it can be assumed that the Oknin family will not be moving to Ataturk Airport in the near future - even if they only need a connection.
Istanbul, meanwhile, will continue to be an attractive destination for Israelis.
