First in six years Turkish Ambassador to Israel resumes office

The new Turkish ambassador to Israel, Kemal Okem, presented his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. 

Okem, who is Turkey’s first ambassador to Israel in almost six years, said at the festive ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem that he hopes that reconciliation between Turkey and Israel and cooperation between the two countries will also improve the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, Haaretz reports.

 In December, the Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Eitan Na'eh has presented his credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to officially begin his tenure in Ankara.

Turkey recalled the previous ambassador in September 2011, downgrading diplomatic relations, in response to the UN Secretary General’s report that Israel had violated international law when it took control of the Turkish flotilla to Gaza in May 2010.

Okem’s arrival in Israel is one of the final stages in the process of normalization between Israel and Turkey following the reconciliation agreement signed a few months ago.