Bennett To Be 1st Israeli PM To Speak to Erdogan in 9 Years After Turkey Releases Couple

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday, the first Israeli prime minister to do so in 9 years, following the release of an Israeli couple from a Turkish prison where they were held for a week, accused of being spies after taking a photograph of the president’s palace in Istanbul. Mordi and Natali Oknin, Israeli bus drivers from the center of the country, flew home to Israel early Thursday morning after their release. Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid issued a statement in which they thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government “for their cooperation.” They also thanked Israel’s President Isaac Herzog for his efforts. The couple arrived back in Israel on Thursday morning on a plane sent by the Foreign Ministry after secret, behind-the-scenes negotiations on the part of Israeli diplomats secured their release, and offered heartfelt thanks to Bennett and Lapid by phone – they did not meet the Oknin at the airport, allowing the couple a private reunion with family members. The Kan national broadcaster reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, that their release did not involve a deal with Ankara. Haaretz reported that Israel still will respond to the release with a “reciprocal gesture.” Herzog spoke with Erdogan on Thursday morning and thanked the Turkish president for his “personal involvement and contribution” to the couple’s release.