Israeli Couple Jailed for Photographing Turkish President’s Palace Could Be Tried as Spies

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are working to “resolve” the issue of the arrest in Turkey of an Israeli couple jailed for taking photographs of the president’s palace in Istanbul. Israeli tourists Mordy and Natali Oknin, who were detained on Thursday, say they did not know that it is illegal to photograph the president’s palace. They reportedly also sent the photo to relatives via Whatsapp. A Turkish court is weighing whether to charge the couple with espionage or with a lesser charge of harming the country’s national security. “These are two innocent civilians who have been mistakenly caught up in a complex situation.  I spoke yesterday with the family and we are doing everything to resolve the issue. I asked that the family stay strong, despite the great difficulty. We are with you. Beyond this, it would not be proper to expand at the moment,” Bennett said on Sunday at the weekly Cabinet meeting. A Turkish court ruled on Saturday that the couple, who are both bus drivers, will remain in jail until their trial. No date has been set for the trial though it reportedly would not be for at least three weeks. No Israeli officials have been permitted to meet with the couple. Israel maintains a diplomatic mission in Turkey. Israeli officials have asserted both to Turkey and in public that the couple does not work for any Israeli spy agency. Their arrest comes a month after Turkey arrested 15 people alleged to be spies for Israel’s Mossad secret service agency. Israel denies the allegations.