A court in Turkey last night (Friday) extended for twenty days the arrests of Natalie and the Oknin rebels, the Israeli couple who were arrested in Istanbul after photographing the presidential palace of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The surprise announcement came after officials in Turkey announced the intention to deport the couple, but the Turkish prosecutor demanded an extension of their detention.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced last night that he had spoken with the couple’s family, and updated that his office had requested a consular visit with them and is working to release them at all political levels.
In a rare move, Lapid explicitly stated that the two were not employed by an Israeli agency, adding: “The Foreign Ministry has been in constant contact with the family since the news of their arrest became known and regularly updates them on efforts to release them.”