The United Arab Emirates was instrumental to Israel's efforts to free two tourists detained in Turkey last week, officials confirmed to Israel Hayom on Thursday.
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Natalie and Mordy Oknin, on holiday in Turkey, were arrested last week in Istanbul for alleged espionage after they photographed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's palace – something that thousands of other tourists do every day.
Israel had swiftly and firmly denied the couple had links to any security agency and began pursuing their release vis-à-vis Turkish authorities.
The mission proved difficult after they two were remanded for an additional 20 days earlier this week, sparking concerns that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attempt to leverage the case for political gain.
As efforts to have the two released increased and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and personally took on the case directly, a media blackout was placed on any progress made.
It wasn't until early on Thursday morning, that Jerusalem officials confirmed that the government sent a private jet to pick up the Oknins, who arrived in Israel 6:20 a.m.
The aircraft used was a US-registered jet that had been used by Israel in the past for state matters, local media reported.
It was also cleared for publication that the United Arab Emirates was the "third-party country" Jerusalem officials had hinted was assisting Israel in the case.
According to available details, UAE National Security Adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has close ties with his Turkish counterpart and other defense officials in the country, was asked by Israel to help mediate the couple's release.
Israeli officials made it clear to bin Zayed that the couple had they had never worked or acted in any on behalf of any security intelligence agency.
The assurances were enough to convince the top UAE official that the Oknins were innocent tourists who were arrested for no wrongdoing, and he agreed to weigh in on the matter vis-à-vis Ankara.
After the couple was safely back home in the central Israeli city of Modi'in, Bennett and Lapid thanked Erdogan for his efforts to secure their release.
A senior diplomatic official told Israel Hayom, that it was the Turkish leader's personal intervention that brought the incident to an end, saying that as soon as his office was made aware of the case, the matter was expedited and the two were released from jail and allowed to leave the country.
With a full-blown diplomatic crisis seemingly averted, Bennett is expected to hold a phone conversation with Erdogan on Thursday evening. An Israeli prime minister has not held a conversation publicly with the Turkish president since 2013, the Jerusalem Post said.
Prior to the couple's release, the prime minister had enlisted all available resources to secure their safe return to Israel.
According to foreign media reports, Mossad Director David Barnea spoke with his Turkish counterpart and also offered assurances that the Oknins' were not intelligence agents.
A diplomatic official said told the Times of Israel that Barnea "works quietly and works very well. Cooperation between them [him and Bennett] was excellent."
'A Hanukkah miracle'
Bennett and Lapid spoke with the two on Thursday morning.
They described their release as a "Hanukkah miracle. They thanked the prime minister, foreign minister and President Isaac Herzog for their efforts.
"We were jailed for eight days and nights – our own private Hanukkah miracle occurred and today we returned home to our family and to," Natalie Oknin told reporters outside the family home.
Her husband Mordy thanked everyone at the Foreign Ministry: "Everyone got together to help get out us out of there. We will not forget any of you."
Natalie added, "We understand no stone was left unturned. This is not something that can be taken for granted, how you stood by us. I understand that the prime minister and the foreign minister spoke with our family every day; that the entire government spared no effort to help us. We are very grateful."
Though initially there was little media coverage of the case in Turkey, reports on it increased when Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Tuesday claimed that the Oknins were spies who had targeted Erdogan's residence.
As local coverage of the affair grew, some media figures openly criticized authorities for detaining the couple. Once news of the Oknin's release broke, most official Turkish mainstream media outlets dropped the story, but taking to social media, journalists had no issue criticizing the way Ankara's handled the case.
"Not matter how you look at this, it's absurd," Rusen Cakir of Mediascope. He further hedged that "this isn't the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last."
Journalist Nevsin Mengu wondered, "Will tourists continue to come to Turkey? Is there any guarantee that taking photos won't land you in jail?"
Others questioned the validity of the arrest over the fact the two's release was downplayed by the government.
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