[ad_1]
The Israeli official will not divulge the details of his conversation or request, but the two leaders spoke on the phone on July 14, a few days after Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the summit. NATO in Brussels.
A senior US official told CNN that in exchange for the release by Turkey of Andrew Brunson – who has been detained in Turkey since October 2016 – Israel has agreed to release Ebru Ozkan, a Turkish woman 27-year-old detained in Israel suspected of having helped Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controls Gaza and was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel.
The White House did not respond to requests for comments on Friday.
Ozkan was released between July 11 and 12, an Ozkan lawyer told CNN. She was able to leave Israel for Turkey on July 15, a day after Trump spoke with Netanyahu.
In an extremely unusual move, Israeli prosecutors allowed Ozkan, who faces terrorism-related charges, to leave the country two weeks before his trial, effectively freezing the case against her.
Brunson, a North Carolina Evangelical Presbyterian pastor, was arrested in 2016 during a government crackdown following an attempted coup d'etat.
In March, he was formally charged with spying and having links with terrorist organizations. If he is found guilty, he faces up to 35 years in prison. He maintains his innocence.
On July 18 – three days after Ozkan's return to Turkey – a Turkish court dismissed an appeal by Brunson's lawyers for him to be released.
Then, on Wednesday, Brunson was released at home.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have had many conversations with Turkish officials about Brunson in recent weeks, an administration official told CNN
. Brunson's freedom, and on Thursday, Trump threatened Turkey with retaliation.
Trump calls for the immediate liberation of Brunson
"The United States will impose heavy sanctions on Turkey for the detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, a man of wonderful human, "said Trump tweeted
" He is suffering tremendously, "the president added." This innocent man of faith should be released immediately! "
Pence echoed Trump's stance in remarks to State Department Thursday.
"If Turkey does not take immediate action to release this man of faith and send him home to America, the United States will impose significant penalties on Turkey up to # 39, that Pastor Andrew Brunson be free, "said Pence." While he's in jail, he's still not free. "
In a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "has stressed that it was high time that this innocent pastor "come home. Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said that the "threatening language" of the United States was "unacceptable".
A senior Turkish official denied that there was a connection between the release of Ozkan and the Brunson case.
Erdogan: Brunson is "Not a Hostage"
Since his election, Trump has repeatedly raised the issue of Brunson's detention with Erdogan, and has publicly called for his Release.
Trump and Erdogan specifically spoke to the issue during a call in mid-June, according to the head of the administration. The White House did not publish a reading of this conversation
![Erdogan of Turkey calls in Jerusalem Embbady of the United States is moving away ". a huge mistake # 19659025] Erdogan from Turkey calls Jerusalem # 39; Huge mistake](http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/badets/170207195854-erdogan-trump-split-large-169.jpg)
Erdogan has already suggested that Brunson could be traded against Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric who is accused by the Turkish government for the miss in 2016. Gulen denies any involvement.
"There is the terrorist organization FETO and the leader is in the United States since 1999," he said, referring to Gulen's organization. "And he is lodged there, he is not a prisoner, he is not even detained and we demand his extradition, and he is not extradited to us."
"But there is a pastor Brunson who is being prosecuted now and he would be badociated with terrorist organizations and you ask him?"
"This is not hostage diplomacy", did it -he says. "It's not that at all."
Oren Liebermann reported from Jerusalem and Elise Labott reported from Washington. Judith Vonberg wrote from London. Evan Perez contributed from Washington, Gul Tuysuz and Jomana Karadsheh contributed from Istanbul, Amir Tal contributed from Jerusalem and Lauren Moorhouse contributed from London.
[ad_2]Source link
