Trump target in Palestinian student protest case goes home to Turkey
April 17, 2026
Rumeysa Ozturk, one of the most prominent figures targeted in last year's Trump administration crackdown on pro-Palestinian students, has left the U.S. -- but says she did it on her own timeline.
A Turkish woman who became the focus of high-level diplomacy involving the United States has returned to her home in Turkey after being detained in Israel for over a month. Ebru Ozkan, 27, was arrested in June 2018 at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of having links to terrorist groups. She was subsequently indicted on charges of aiding Hamas by smuggling money and other goods into the West Bank. Her case quickly escalated, drawing in both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then-U.S. President Donald Trump, against a backdrop of severely strained relations between Turkey and Israel.
Ozkan was taken into custody on June 11, 2018, as she was preparing to fly back to Istanbul after a three-day visit to Jerusalem. During her trip, which her family said was for tourism and to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque, she was accused by Israeli authorities of posing a threat to national security. The indictment against her included charges of smuggling five bottles of perfume to be sold for Hamas funds, and carrying $500 and a phone charger for a member of the group. Her lawyer and family vehemently denied the allegations, calling her detention "arbitrary" and the charges "groundless". Her sister stated that Ozkan was not political and had only brought items like balloons and candy for children.
The case unfolded during a period of significant diplomatic tension. Just a month prior to Ozkan's arrest, Turkey had expelled Israel's ambassador in response to the killing of Palestinian protesters in Gaza. Turkish officials, including then-Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, reacted strongly to Ozkan's detention, vowing to "retaliate" and accusing Israel of taking "deterrent measures" against Turkish citizens visiting Jerusalem. The case gained further international attention when it was reported that President Trump had personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release Ozkan. This request was reportedly part of a broader, though officially denied, understanding linked to Turkey's detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson.
After a series of court hearings in an Israeli military court, where her lawyer challenged the proceedings, Ozkan was granted a conditional release on bail in mid-July 2018. Israeli prosecutors initially objected but the decision was upheld. Shortly thereafter, the travel ban against her was lifted, her passport was returned, and she was deported from Israel, with the legal proceedings against her reportedly suspended. Upon her arrival in Istanbul, Ozkan thanked President Erdogan for his personal interest in her case. An Israeli official later confirmed that President Trump had indeed made a request for her release.
The resolution of Ozkan's case was seen at the time as a potential, albeit small, step in navigating the complex triangular relationship between the United States, Turkey, and Israel. However, the underlying issues, including the fate of Pastor Brunson which led to U.S. sanctions against Turkey, and the broader disagreements over policy in Syria and Palestine, remained significant points of friction. Analysts at the time viewed the diplomatic maneuvering around Ozkan's release as indicative of the transactional nature of international relations under the Trump administration, where personal interventions could override standard legal and diplomatic processes. The episode highlighted the deep-seated tensions and the fragile nature of alliances in the region.
Source: washingtontimes