Israeli detained in Turkey since late January for alleged offenses against Erdogan, flag
Avivit Amber held in custody for past 11 days on charges of desecrating Turkish flag, offending Turkish president; crime carries up to 4 year sentence but foreigners often deported
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An Israeli woman has been detained in Turkey, the Foreign Ministry told The Times of Israel on Saturday.
“The incident is known to us and is being handled by the Consular Affairs Division,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The woman, Avivit Amber, has been under arrest for 11 days after allegedly desecrating the country’s flag and insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestine, Hebrew media outlets reported.
Amber was arrested in Istanbul’s Taksim Square in late January, reports said.
Turkish state media have not published official details on the case, with most information coming out of Turkish social media.
According to the Walla news site, Amber was arrested for violating a provision in the Turkish criminal code that prohibits offending the president.
İsrailli bir kadın, Türk bayrağına, Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan'a ve "Filistin Devleti"ne hakaret şüphesiyle İstanbul'da 10 günden fazla süredir gözaltında tutuluyor.
İsrailli kadın, şehrin Taksim Meydanı'nda tutuklandı ve Türk sosyal medyasında bir Türk polis memurunun onu… pic.twitter.com/zvSLrM4WAq
— קול ישראל / İsrail'den Haberler (@kolisraelmedia) February 1, 2026
While the crime carries a jail sentence of one to four years, foreigners charged with it are typically deported from the country instead, Walla reported.
According to Turkish Minute, Turkish authorities investigated over 50,000 people for violating this law between 2019 and 2022.
In 2021, Turkish authorities arrested an Israeli couple —Natali and Mordy Oknin — for photographing Erdogan’s palace in Istanbul, leading to a high-profile diplomatic crisis.
The two were released after a week in custody following intervention from top Israeli officials.
Relations between Israel and Turkey have been particularly strained since war broke out in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel.
To the ire of Israel, Turkey was one of the countries included in the Gaza oversight panel established as part of the ceasefire agreement that ended the war, despite the vehement rhetoric employed by Erdogan against Israel throughout the war.
The Turkish government has hosted Hamas officials, and the pro-government media has referred to Israel as the country’s “number one threat.”
The Times of Israel Community.