news
Political-political
Foreign relations
In complete secrecy: behind the scenes of the release of Natalie and the Oknin rebels from detention in Turkey
The head of the Israeli embassy in Ankara and the head of the Mossad acted simultaneously on two axes to lead to the release of the couple.
As early as Tuesday, a message arrived from Turkey that this was a local incident that got complicated, and yesterday the message was received about the intention to release them, of which only about 10 senior officials and family members knew - who kept it a secret.
Tags
Turkey
Lightning Ravid
Thursday, 18 November 2021, 08:02 Updated: 08:20
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
In the video: Natalie and the Oknin rebels landed in Israel on their way home after 8 days of detention in Turkey, November 18, 2021 (Photo: Airports Authority)
Following the release last night (Thursday) from the arrest in Turkey of rebels and Natalie Oknin, who had been detained in Istanbul for a week on suspicion of espionage, Foreign Ministry officials told Walla!
Turkish President Erdogan's senior adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, informed the interim commissioner of the Israeli embassy in Ankara, Irit Lillian, as early as noon yesterday that a decision had been made to release the two Israelis.
A small group of about ten senior Israeli officials knew of the intention to release the Israelis.
The Foreign Ministry immediately informed the family members, asking them to maintain secrecy and not disclose anything to anyone.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry asked the military censors not to allow any publication on the subject.
The family members kept it a secret, and when several public figures arrived at their home on Wednesday, they did not tell them anything about knowing that their families would arrive in the country in the next few hours.
Foreign Minister Lapid was scheduled to fly for a state visit to Budapest yesterday, but canceled it yesterday morning, in order to continue to deal with the liberation of Israelis in Turkey.
The Foreign Minister's Office secretly kept the visit canceled and the reason for the cancellation.
More on Walla!
The couple Mordi and Natalie Oknin were released from detention in Turkey and returned to Israel
To the full article
More on Walla!
The Oknin family celebrates the release of rebels and Natalie from detention in Turkey: "Open news, they are in the country"
"It's hard for me, but I'm getting along": the detainee's first conversation in Turkey and her daughters
5 tips that can save you a lot of money in car insurance
The arrival to release them was kept secret.
The Oknin couple at the moment of landing in Israel (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
In Israel, last week they decided not to involve any third country in contacts with Turkey and to resolve the issue directly between the two countries. Foreign Ministry officials said that a few days ago, and especially after Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Silo's statement in the media, it was decided to increase contacts with the Turks by two axes - the Israeli embassy chief Lilan with Erdogan Ibrahim Kalin's adviser and Mossad chief Dedi Barnea with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
President Herzog was also involved in contacts for the release of the Israelis, and spoke on the phone with senior Turkish officials other than Erdogan. "We have made it clear to the Turks that they must cut and end the affair quickly so that it does not develop into an even deeper crisis," a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
Already on Tuesday the efforts began to bear fruit.
The message from Erdogan's advisers to the Israeli embassy commissioner in Ankara was that this was a complicated local incident, and that there was no political motivation behind the incident or intention from above.
"Let's see how this is resolved," the Turks told Israel.
Contacts for their release in two axes.
The Oknin couple on a plane en route to Israel (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Israeli officials say that the fact that both Herzog, Bennett and Lapid both said publicly at an early stage that the couple were not agents of Israeli intelligence had a very positive effect on contacts with the Turks.
Foreign Ministry officials said the conclusion at the end of the incident was that the incident "fell" on Erdogan, who needed time to deal with it and end it well.
"Erdogan understood that there was no need to enter into a confrontation with Israel and that he could also benefit from a good end to the affair," said a senior Foreign Ministry official.
On Wednesday afternoon, the couple were taken for medical tests at the jail and for a corona test.
At night, a private jet leased by the Foreign Ministry landed in Istanbul.
The plane left for Turkey without anyone noticing.
At the end of the night, the two Israelis were not deported, but were simply released from prison and boarded the plane back to Israel.
During all the contacts for the release of the couple, there were no direct contacts at the political level between the parties.
The Turks also did not demand a political price for their release, but now the assessment in Israel is that in the coming hours and days there may be phone calls between senior officials on both sides - probably between President Herzog or Prime Minister Bennett and Erdogan and possibly between Foreign Minister Lapid and his Turkish counterpart.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
