JERUSALEM, Israel – In what's being seen as the finishing touches on Turkish-Israeli rapprochement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named his country's new ambassador to Israel.
Erdogan announced the appointment of Kemal Okem at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport just before departing for state visits to Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday.
The announcement came one day after Israel named senior diplomat Eitan Na'eh as its new ambassador to Turkey. Na'eh, whose diplomatic career spans 25 years, will leave his post as deputy ambassador to London to serve in Turkey.
Turkey severed diplomatic ties with Israel a year after the confrontation aboard the Turkish flagship, Mavi Marmara, in May 2010, in a failed attempt to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli naval commandoes attempting to board the flagship were attacked by dozens of pro-Palestinian activists. When it became evident their lives were in danger, the commandoes were given permission to use live ammunition. In the ensuing confrontation, nine Turkish nationals were killed.
After years of diplomatic efforts to restore ties between the former allies, Netanyahu and Erdogan reached a consensus last June. The agreement included a $20 million dollar compensation package by Israel for families of the activists who were killed.
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