Reuven Dayan, a family member of the Israeli couple, Mordy and Natali Oknin, who were arrested in Turkey on charges of espionage last week, spoke about how the family is dealing with the situation in an interview with 103FM Sunday morning.
The couple were arrested after they took pictures of the presidential palace where Turkish President Recep Erdogan resides, violating a prohibition on photographing the President’s residence.
"I have known them for many years. They are both bus drivers, and also appear in Egged's commercials in every possible media. On Tuesday they had already disappeared from the radar, and only on Thursday did we realize that something had happened. From there began a process that was unfamiliar and somewhat surreal, and not just for the family. No one had heard of such a situation. This is our life now," Dayan said.
He said, "We think of the worst-case scenario. No one knows what and how. There is a very large and extended family here, but I am actually looking at their children. There are two bigger daughters there with a five-year-old son with special needs, who is waiting for his mother. The situation is not easy and not ideal, we do not know what the future holds."
In his opinion, the suspicions of espionage are not real. "I think we are not talking about a legal issue here. We are praying, we need miracles here. Anyone who can - help this family. I promise that with the money they will not fly back to Turkey, I pray that it does not last 20 days."
He commented on the comments received by Natalie and Mordy after it was discovered that they had expressed support for former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Disgusting, we have not responded because we are not dealing with it. Let everyone do some soul searching of themselves before going to bed. I just feel sorry for these people. Anything that will bring about this couple home, we will do, even if it is to contact the Joint List [party] or the haters of Israel. Every word we say can be harmful, and things about which I do not understand where they may lead, I prefer to keep to myself."
This morning (Sunday), Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a consultation on the case with the participation of Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz, National Security Adviser Dr. Eyal Hulata