From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 15, 2024
Sagiv Jehezkel will return to Israel from Turkey later today – Foreign Ministry
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel will return to Israel today from Turkey, the Foreign Ministry announces.
According to the announcement, the Foreign Ministry worked “with all relevant authorities in Turkey in order to bring about the speedy release” of the soccer player who was held for questioning yesterday.
“Turkey has become a dark dictatorship, which works against humanitarian values and the values of sports,” says Foreign Minister Israel Katz. “Anyone who arrests a soccer player over an act of identification with 136 hostages who have been held for over 100 days in the hands of a murderous terror organization represents a culture of murder and hatred.”
Katz calls for the international community and international sports bodies to punish Turkey over the episode.
