Social media erupted first with furious posts. "Remove this symbol of death from here," Senator Ivan Moreira Barros, representing the Los Lagos region where Puerto Montt serves as capital, declared on X. He also addressed Chilean President Gabriel Boric directly, stating "You support Palestinian rights in the face of genocide, so make sure this happens."

Following the digital campaign came physical action. Unidentified vandals sprayed the menorah with red paint, scrawled "murderers" across it in bold letters and damaged its foundation.

Only a handful confronted this cowardly vandalism and blatant antisemitism. The nation's Jewish community filed protests while Israeli Ambassador to Chile Gil Artzyeli issued condemnation statements targeting Moreira Barros and other politicians participating in the incitement campaign – yet among Chilean politicians, virtually only Rodrigo Wainraihgt, Puerto Montt's mayor elected merely two months prior, openly opposed these manifestations of hatred and bigotry.

"I clearly supported Jews' right to celebrate Hanukkah peacefully and quietly, which is why I sharply criticized this act and those responsible for it," Wainraihgt told Israel Hayom during his current visit to Israel as part of a Latin American mayors' delegation that also attended the "Muniexpo 2025" local government conference.

Following the menorah vandalism episode, leftist forces in his city and nation have branded Wainraihgt an "Israel supporter," labeling him "pro-Zionist," "genocide supporter," "friend of the Jews" and worse. "I'm neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian," he stated. "I consider myself neutral. Unlike others, I listen to both sides before forming opinions about a country I don't truly know and a problem where I lack expertise. This is precisely why I wanted to come here and witness reality firsthand."

Wainraihgt faced intense criticism for his decision to tour Israel (he was the sole Chilean accepting the invitation), yet he remains undeterred. "There were numerous personal attacks from various people on social media, but I'm acting for my city's benefit and my people's welfare. For this purpose I remain courageous and unmoved by those who merely sit on the sidelines and criticize."

In 2025 Chile, even neutrality constitutes taking sides. Under Boric's populist leftist leadership, the nation has embraced aggressive anti-Israel policies. In early June, the president announced withdrawing the country's military attachés from Israel, considering military import suspensions, supporting legal proceedings against Israel in The Hague, backing arms embargoes and banning imports from Judea and Samaria. Previously, he recalled Chile's ambassador from Israel, effectively reducing diplomatic relations between the nations to near-complete suspension.

"The president repeatedly claims there's 'genocide' in Gaza while ignoring Hamas's actions, a murderous terror organization seeking not only Israel's elimination but the entire Western world's destruction," Wainraihgt, a Renovación Nacional (National Renewal) party member from Chile's center-Right, expressed regarding Boric. "He ignores the murders, rapes and Israeli suffering. Through his statements and actions he severely damaged relations between two countries that previously maintained very friendly ties based on extensive technological, military and academic cooperation."

"I hope our next president will restore Chile-Israel relations," Wainraihgt stated. The country anticipates general elections in November 2025. Constitutional restrictions prevent Boric from seeking another term, while his support ratings have plummeted following progressive social and economic policies. The Gaza war won't dominate the presidential campaign, yet regardless of the next president's identity, Israel will likely remain a target of government criticism.

A primary factor is Chile's Palestinian minority's political influence, numbering approximately 500,000 people (from roughly 20 million nationally) – the highest Palestinian concentration outside the Arab world. This large, vocal and assertive minority significantly impacts the young South American democracy's internal politics.

Major Chilean cities have witnessed numerous turbulent anti-Israel demonstrations, both before October 7 and especially following the Hamas massacre. Anti-Israel rhetoric is extreme, aggressive and deliberately conflates "Israel," "Zionism," "Jews," "imperialism," "occupation," "genocide" and other code words that Latin America's extreme left frequently employs to inflame emotions.

The Palestino soccer club from the country's premier league exemplifies this phenomenon, transforming every match into a public anti-Israel display, including featuring a "liberated Palestine" map on players' jerseys – replacing the number 1.

The combination of Palestinian lobby activities with Marxist and anti-American ideology that has consistently flourished in Chile, both before and after Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, created an explosive mixture making Boric's administration the continent's most extreme symbol of anti-Israeli policy.

"The Palestinian community contains an extreme minority wanting to drag us into confrontation with Israel," Wainraihgt acknowledged. "But we cannot permit this. We must not abandon dialogue and joint efforts. I hope post-election Chile will renew good relations with Israel, which are important and stronger than any single president's politics."

Wainraihgt described how alongside his visit's human dimension, including touring the Nova memorial site and kibbutzim severely damaged on October 7 ("As a father of three children, my emotions were overwhelming. I witnessed bloodstains where they murdered a father before his children's eyes and heard testimonies about the horrific acts innocent young people endured who simply wanted to dance"), his primary objective involves establishing connections with Israeli companies and organizations to help his city advance technologically.

"We have much to learn from Israel," he said. "You possess extensive knowledge, tools and experience in technological and innovative initiatives that transformed and improved your economy and society. This inspires admiration. Puerto Montt and the Los Lagos region host major industries like salmon exports, but we want to advance other important sectors too, requiring us to embrace innovation concepts, advanced academic research and current technology. Without these elements we cannot truly progress."

"I believe shared interests can bridge any dispute," he added. "From the Israeli side I observed tremendous willingness to help and cooperate, despite the problematic situation between our governments. I'm departing with an extensive list of contacts and experts who offered assistance – this alone provides reason for optimism. If state-level problems exist, then local government and citizen levels can restore relations. This approach can repair what was nearly broken – and I hope during my next visit here, peace will return, the world will address extreme groups like Hamas, and genuine coexistence will emerge. Until then, I hope my city advances and Chile returns to normalcy."

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In a tense maritime encounter, Taipei is calling for the immediate release of one of its fishing boats and crew members after Chinese authorities seized the vessel on Tuesday in the Taiwan Strait. The incident underscores the growing tensions between the two in disputed waters.

Taiwan's Coast Guard reported that it dispatched two patrol boats to the scene where the Dajinman 88 was seized. However, Chinese ships blocked their approach and warned them not to interfere. After about an hour, Taiwan's Coast Guard vessels withdrew to avoid further escalation.

The seized fishing boat was reportedly in Chinese waters near the coast, not far from the Taiwanese island of Kinmen. According to Reuters, officials stated that the vessel was fishing for squid during a period when China enforced a fishing ban.

Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin has appealed to China, urging them not to let "political factors" influence their handling of the situation. "We are calling for the release of the sailors and the vessel itself," the official stated, emphasizing the need for a diplomatic resolution.

This incident is part of a pattern of rising maritime tensions between China and its breakaway province. Both sides have previously seized each other's boats on suspicion of trespassing, but this latest event highlights the increasingly complex situation in the region.

China considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has also laid claim to large portions of the South China Sea, a crucial global shipping route. Last month, China implemented a new law allowing its Coast Guard to seize foreign vessels suspected of entering its claimed waters without permission.

The situation is particularly delicate for the island of Kinmen, which sits just five miles from China's coast but is controlled by Taiwan. Its proximity to the mainland makes it potentially vulnerable to Chinese pressure tactics.

This latest maritime skirmish follows a recent clash between the Chinese coast guard and a Filipino boat in the South China Sea, further illustrating the broader regional tensions.

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In a departure from Israel's traditional foreign policy, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has been quietly cultivating relationships with far-right parties across Europe, many of which have shown unprecedented support for Israel following the October 7 attacks.

Just a year ago, when senior members of Sweden's far-right Sweden Democrats party visited Israel, the Knesset's Foreign Affairs Department advised lawmakers against meeting them, and the Foreign Ministry, including its leadership, ignored their presence. Now, as right-wing parties gain strength across Europe and express strong support for post-October 7 Israel, it appears doors are opening for them in unexpected places.

While the Foreign Ministry maintains its policy of avoiding parties with neo-Nazi roots, Chikli has taken a different approach. He recently met with representatives of the Sweden Democrats in the Knesset, signaling a shift in engagement.

Operating largely under the radar of official foreign policy channels, including those overseen by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Chikli has been weaving a network of connections with European right-wing parties since October 7. In recent months, he has visited France and Hungary and addressed an official conference of the national right-wing Vox party in Madrid. Last month, he traveled to the United States, meeting with several senators to bolster support for Israel. His future plans include visits to Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico.

While one might welcome a change in Israel's diplomatic direction given the hostility from some European countries led by left-wing parties now pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state, this is not an official policy shift. The Foreign Ministry's official stance remains largely unchanged, viewing these parties as extreme and avoiding formal ties. However, Chikli has emerged as a new de facto foreign minister, consistently cultivating official government relationships with those who have become prominent supporters of Israel in its war against terrorism.

Chikli explains these new alliances to his social media followers, citing shared values in the fight against radical Islam, which he says is flooding Europe and seeking to destroy the Jewish state, as well as opposition to a nuclear Iran.

While one might welcome a change in Israel's diplomatic direction given the hostility from some European countries led by left-wing parties now pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state, this is not an official policy shift. The Foreign Ministry's official stance remains largely unchanged, viewing these parties as extreme and avoiding formal ties. However, Chikli has emerged as a new de facto foreign minister, consistently cultivating official government relationships with those who have become prominent supporters of Israel in its war against terrorism.

"October 7 became a trigger," unnamed sources in Chikli's office say, "and since then, the minister has devoted considerable time to pro-Israel foreign policy."

Chikli's Diaspora Affairs Ministry has absorbed the Ministry for Strategic Affairs, previously headed by Gilad Erdan, whose departments have since been shuffled between various ministries, primarily Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs. The portion that landed in Chikli's lap includes the fight against Israel's delegitimization, which has transformed in the wake of the war into a struggle to strengthen Israel's legitimacy to defeat Hamas, and more.

Chikli finds a receptive audience among parties like Vox in Spain, Marine Le Pen's National Front in France, Viktor Orbán's government in Hungary, Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, the Conservatives in Britain, and many others.

Given the stance of governments in Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, and others, it's understandable why Israel seeks to strengthen ties with those not only sympathetic but also showing signs of growing stronger across the European continent.

But is this official Israeli policy? Publicly, it seems not. In the Foreign Ministry, apart from a tweet by the current Foreign Minister, no change has occurred. It can be assumed that Netanyahu gave unofficial approval for this further division in Israel's foreign service, as previously only Knesset members and Likud party figures "risked" managing such relationships.

Now the foreign service suffers not only from the traditional split between Katz and Dermer (Netanyahu's) "US portfolio holder," but also creates a new head: Chikli – holder of the strengthening right-wing portfolio in Europe.

Alongside seeking new friends for the country, the Israeli minister also doesn't shy away from intervening in others' politics. "Winds of change!" Chikli was quoted earlier this month by a major European media network on the European Parliament elections. "It was a great evening for Europe and a turning point for Western civilization. The spirit of 'wokeness' that led to moral collapse is being replaced by a new but old spirit: conservatism. Even if the road is long – truth will prevail."

On the same day, Chikli didn't stop and tweeted against the Belgian prime minister, who displays a hostile approach to Israel in its war against Hamas and was caught on camera holding his head following the defeat in those elections.

"Belgian PM @alexanderdecroo   cried yesterday when his party was defeated. Apparently supporting terror doesn't resonate with the Belgian people," Chikli tweeted. The next day, Chikli tweeted in favor of a British politician close to Trump who heads the UK's Reform Party, writing, "The violent attacks against @Nigel_Farage  reinforce his argument – England is at a critical juncture with significant implications far beyond its borders: either surrender to the left and radical Islam or stand up and fight for the preservation of England's identity."

Is this official Israeli policy? Publicly, it seems not. In the Foreign Ministry, apart from a tweet by the current Foreign Minister, no change has occurred. It can be assumed that Netanyahu gave unofficial approval for this further division in Israel's foreign service, as previously only Knesset members and Likud party figures "risked" managing such relationships.

Beyond meetings, speeches, and tweets, Minister Chikli is also paving a direct connection to former Republican President Donald Trump's inner circle, and to heads of other countries where power shifts to the right side of the political map have already occurred.

Recently, he asked the former president's people for help in saving a Jew in our region who has been sentenced to death. While Chikli consistently denies the findings of a recent report that in the foreign media that his office manages an influence campaign on foreign soil, it seems that reality is not far from this, and not just in America. Without significant Israeli money but with a lot of attention, speeches, and a well-used diplomatic passport.

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Papua New Guinea opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem on Tuesday, becoming only the fifth country with a full diplomatic mission in a city whose status is one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East.

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The Pacific nation's mission joins embassies from the United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras in Jerusalem, while most countries maintain their diplomatic representation in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, Israel's main economic hub.

Video: Papua New Guinea opens embassy in Jerusalem / Credit: Reuters

While Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there, most of the world does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, believing its status should be resolved in negotiations.

Israel will pay for the embassy, located in a high–rise opposite Jerusalem's biggest mall, for the first two years, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape was quoted in the Papua New Guinea Post–Courier newspaper.

Marape also pledged support at the United Nations for Israel, whose leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attended the embassy ceremony.

"Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem, but we have made a conscious choice," Marape said at the embassy's inauguration ceremony.

"For us to call ourselves Christian, paying respect to God will not be complete without recognizing that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and the nation of Israel," Marape said.

Wassel Abu Youssef, an official with the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was "looking for any country – even if that country can only be seen under a microscope – so it can claim there are countries opening embassies in Jerusalem".

Papua New Guinea, which occupies the eastern half of the West Pacific Island of New Guinea, has an economy based on agriculture and mining. Its bilateral trade with Israel is worth just $1 million a year, according to Israeli authorities.

Netanyahu said the new embassy would make it easier to develop agriculture, health, water, and technology projects. "This will not only enable us to cherish the past but also seize the future," he said at the ceremony.

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With the state budget passed and the government no longer threatened by immediate collapse, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shifted his efforts abroad, with a specific emphasis on the US, Israel Hayom has learned.

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As such, Netanyahu has engaged in a delicate dance to avoid unnecessary friction with Israel's greatest ally, through a deliberate effort to pick and choose his battles with the White House.

This has seen him shelve controversial legislation targeting NGOs operating in Israel since this is not considered to be of great importance to his government.

On the other hand, he has stood firm on settlements, including over the legalization of Jewish presence in the former community of Homesh in Samaria. The focus on diplomacy means that Netanyahu will seek to put Iran front and center, but also bolster the Abraham Accords in order to bring Saudi Arabia on board.

Meanwhile, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi are expected to go on another diplomatic trip to the United States, the agenda being the Iran nuclear program. 

This will be Dermer and Hanegbi's second visit to the US, while Netanyahu has not yet received an invitation from Washington since taking office. 

Dermer is considered Netanyahu's liaison vis-à-vis the Biden administration and is in charge of examining its attitude to various steps taken by the Israeli government, with the prime minister steering his policy accordingly – on the one hand, to maintain the right-wing policies of his government, and on the other, not to have relations unravel. 

In recent weeks, on Dermer's recommendation and after pressure from the White House, Netanyahu took Likud MK Ariel Kallner NGO tax bill, which proposed that foreign government contributions to nonprofits be taxed at 65%, off the table. 

The issue has been discussed extensively in recent days, but behind the scenes, it was frozen the same way as another law from the Likud meant to confiscate terror funds from the Palestinian Authority. 

The bill was proposed by MK Amit Halevi and is meant to confiscate terror funds instead of freezing them. In the meantime, the law is not being promoted for similar reasons. Washington expressed dislike of the wording of the proposal, and Netanyahu put it on hold to reduce unnecessary friction. 

According to political sources, other international matters that were brought up for discussion with Netanyahu recently received a similar response – caution vis-a-vis the US and Dermer looking into the matter. 

Officials stressed that despite the disagreements, the ties between Jerusalem and Washington remain "close." 

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The foreign ministers of Israel and Poland hailed a meeting they had Wednesday as a breakthrough in restoring a relationship that has been badly damaged for years due to disagreements over how to remember Polish behavior during the Holocaust.

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The ministers signed an agreement that they said would allow for the resumption of Israeli youth trips to Poland, one of several tension-causing points of contention between the two countries.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to Poland was the first at that level since 2018. Poland's Foreign Ministry said Israeli President Isaac Herzog plans to attend observances next month for the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, an armed 1943 revolt by Jews in German-occupied Poland.

"I came here to restore the relationship between our countries, and I found in you, my distinguished colleague, a trusted partner," Cohen said at a news conference alongside Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, whom he referred to more than once as his friend. "This is an important moment in the relations between our countries," Cohen said.

Poland has been one of Israel's closest allies in Europe over the years, and Israel appears eager to restore that relationship. Israel is also trying to shore up foreign alliances at a time when its new right government, which took office in December, has seen its relations with the United States and European Union deteriorate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited France, Italy, and Germany in recent weeks and is scheduled to head to Britain in the coming days.

The tensions of the past years were marked by a withdrawal of ambassadors and Poland's prime minister canceling a planned visit to Israel in 2019. Israel has since returned an ambassador to Poland, but there is still no Polish ambassador in Israel.

In Israel, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement Wednesday saying the diplomatic crisis with Poland was over. Cohen said that Poland has agreed to return an ambassador to Israeli, and Netanyahu said that "this decision marks a positive step forward in our diplomatic relations."

But Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Lukasz Jasina told The Associated Press that there is still no decision about the naming of a new ambassador to Israel.

The disagreements between the nations are rooted largely in the Holocaust and how to remember Polish involvement in the killing of Jews by German forces during World War II.

Nazi Germany occupied Poland in 1939 and killed millions of Jews and non-Jews. Unlike other countries occupied by Germany, there was no collaborationist government in Poland. While some Poles risked their lives to save Jews, others helped the Germans hunt down and kill them.

Poland's governing nationalists have sought to depict Polish crimes as a marginal phenomenon and focus almost exclusively on remembering the Polish heroes who helped Jews. Historians, Israeli authorities, and Jewish survivors who suffered persecution at Polish hands before, during, and after the war have condemned the nationalist position and accuse the government of seeking to whitewash history.

For years, young Israelis made pilgrimages to Auschwitz and other Holocaust sites, as well as historic Jewish sites in cities like Krakow and Warsaw. But Israel canceled the trips last year, claiming the Polish government was trying to control the Holocaust curriculum taught to Israeli children.

Poland, in turn, rejected Israel's demand to have security guards join organized Israeli school visits to Poland. The Polish officials argued that Poland was a safe country and the presence of armed guards perpetuated an image of it as an antisemitic place where Jews need protection.

Cohen and Rau signed an agreement that will allow for the immediate resumption of youth delegations. Rau said the agreement "opens prospects for relations that are balanced, equal and based on reciprocity." He said he received "with satisfaction" Israel showing understanding for Poland's view that it was unnecessary to have armed Israeli guards in addition to Polish security, which will be provided to the groups whenever needed.

Ties began to deteriorate when Poland passed a Holocaust speech law in 2018 that made it illegal to blame Poland as a nation for the Holocaust. The legislation eventually was watered down, and it still has not been applied in practice. Three years later, Poland's parliament passed a law that effectively left Holocaust survivors and their descendants unable to reclaim property seized by the post-WWII communist regime.

Poland for centuries was home to a large Jewish community that numbered 3.3 million on the eve of the Holocaust. Only about 10% survived, and postwar persecution drove out many more. Today's Jewish community is very small but has seen some growth since the end of communism more than three decades ago.

Israel was founded in the wake of the Holocaust as a refuge for Jews. It is home to a large but rapidly dwindling population of Holocaust survivors and its annual Holocaust memorial day coincides with the memory of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.

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Jordan on Monday summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest over the behavior of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after he was pictured speaking next to a lectern that had a map of Israel with expanded borders that incorporated the kingdom as part of the Jewish state. The symbol is well known, as it refers to the historical boundaries of British-controlled Palestine during the Mandate, when Zionist movements hoped that Jews would be granted independence in all of that area. Eventually, Britain gave the eastern part to the Hashemite rulers, while Israel eventually got independence in a smaller area to the west of the Jordan river.

The symbol is still in use by some right-wing circles, although Israel has never embraced a desire to control Jordan. Earlier Amman condemned the hard-Right Smotrich's move saying it was a provocative move by an "extremist" and "racist" minister that violated international norms and Jordan's peace treaty with Israel.

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The speech, delivered in Paris, made headlines due to the minister's comments against Palestinians' claim of nationhood, claiming there's "no such thing" as a Palestinian people.

"Is there a Palestinian history or culture? There is none," he can be heard saying in footage of the speech he gave on Sunday at a conference in France shared widely on social media. "There is no such thing as a Palestinian people."

Smotrich, who heads a religious-nationalist party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-Right coalition, made the speech on the same day that Israeli and Palestinian officials met in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for de-escalation talks ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned Smotrich's remarks, saying they amounted to incitement to violence. Jordan, which made peace with Israel in 1994, voiced outrage.

"It's irresponsible provocative behavior by an incumbent minister and a break of international norms and the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty. This extremist behavior pushes towards escalation," Sinan al Majali, a spokesperson for Jordan's Foreign Ministry, said.

Jordan called on the Israeli government to take a "clear and frank" stance, Majali said. Israel's Foreign Ministry later wrote on Twitter: "Israel is committed to the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan. There has been no change in the position of the State of Israel, which recognizes the territorial integrity of the Hashemite Kingdom."

A spokesperson for Smotrich said the lectern was placed by the conference organizers and that the minister was a guest. A statement by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that, by denying the existence of the Palestinian people and their legitimate national rights in their homeland, Israeli leaders "foster an environment that fuels Jewish extremism and terrorism against our people".

Western allies also criticized the remarks. "We utterly object to that kind of language," said John Kirby, US National Security Council spokesperson. "We don't want to see any rhetoric, any action or rhetoric ... that can stand in the way or become an obstacle to a viable two-state solution, and language like that does."

The European Union said it "firmly deplores yet another unacceptable comment by Minister Smotrich," calling it dangerous and counterproductive.

Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel, rejected his remarks as well. After a Palestinian terrorist killed two Jewish settlers near the West Bank town of Huwara last month, and settlers responded by torching homes and cars there, killing one Palestinian, Smotrich also drew global outrage when he said Hawara should be "erased". In the face of international condemnation, he later said he "misspoke", but he did not apologize.

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The parliament of South Africa voted Wednesday to downgrade ties with Israel in what is a culmination of many years of rockey relations with the Jewish state.

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The measure was backed by 208 lawmakers, while 94 opposed it. The move will see Israel's Embassy in the capital Pretoria downgraded to a liaison office. The measure was introduced by the National Freedom Party, which has two members in parliament, to protest what it considers to be a policy of apartheid and discriminatory practices against Palestinians.

"This is a moment [Mandela] would be proud of. He always said our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians," the left-wing party said in a statement Wednesday. "The state of Israel was built through the displacement, murder, and maiming of Palestinians. And to maintain their grip on power, they have instituted apartheid to control and manage Palestinians," read the statement, which continued: "As South Africans, we refuse to stand by while apartheid is being perpetrated again."

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Israeli officials lambasted the EU and other Western countries over the weekend after European diplomats visited the Temple Mount without prior communication through the relevant diplomatic channels, all but ignoring the Israeli control over the holy site and in Jerusalem overall.

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The group, which comprised some 30 members from EU countries, Australia, and Argentina, coordinated with the Islamic Waqf on the mountain, which is the religious administrative body there, but did not do the same with the Israeli authorities and security agencies.

Head of the European Union Delegation to the Palestinians in Ramallah Sven Kuhn coordinated the visit but did not make it public. Other participants did. The UK Consulate in Jerusalem tweeted: "We joined like-minded diplomats at #AlAqsa Mosque to demonstrate support for Jordanian  Custodianship of Christian and Muslim holy sites in #Jerusalem. We continue to promote historic Status Quo arrangements which permit all three Abrahamic faiths to worship in the Old City."

A Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed outrage, telling Israel Hayom: "This visit was irresponsible and could have led to provocation and incitement. The Foreign Ministry will continue to engage via diplomatic channels in order to prevent steps that could lead to escalation and has made it clear to the EU that it does not take it lightly."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Turkey announced on Monday that it would allow officials from the Israeli Consulate General in Istanbul to visit the Israeli couple that had been arrested late last Thursday night after taking photographs of President Tayyip Erdogan's residence in Istanbul from the Camlica Tower, a telecommunications tower with observation decks.

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Now that the necessary authorization has been given, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is actively working on holding the consular visit as the two countries continue to engage on the matter.

"The efforts to release the couple continues at all levels," the Foreign Ministry said.

The couple, both in their 40s, was visiting Turkey to celebrate a birthday and when they did not return to Israel on Tuesday as planned, family members raised the alarm.

According to a report, the couple filmed Erdogan's house and sent it to a Whatsapp group, saying it was "such a nice house." It is illegal in Turkey to photograph or film the president's residence although many do so from the Camlica Tower's observation deck.

While it was first believed that the two would be swiftly expelled from Turkey, an Istanbul court on Friday ordered they be remanded for an additional 20 days, pending trial for "political and military espionage."

The defendants' lawyer, Nir Yaslovizh, who arrived in Istanbul on Friday, called the accusations "preposterous" and blasted the court's "bizarre and unacceptable" remand order.

"They are not spies," he stressed.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid issued a statement over the weekend officially denying that the couple was linked to "any Israeli security agency." This sentiment was echoed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who reiterated in a statement that "the couple do not work for any Israeli agency."

"They are two innocent citizens who accidentally ended up in a complex situation," Bennett added.

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