Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday received the credentials of Irit Lillian, Israel's new ambassador to Turkey, in the latest step towards the full resumption of diplomatic relations between the two sides.
Lillian has held the position of Chargé d'affaires in Ankara since January 2021, and became the new ambassador after presenting her letter of credentials to President Erdogan on Tuesday.
Turkey and Israel began to improve their relations this year with high-level visits, including the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to
Ankara, and it was decided on August 17 to raise diplomatic relations between them to the level of ambassador, as part of their efforts to normalize bilateral relations.
Turkey announced that it had appointed an ambassador to Israel in November, after an absence of 4 years.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Saqr Ozkan Torunlar will "soon" present his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Relations between Israel and Turkey were strained in 2010 after the bloody attack by the occupation forces on the Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, while it was trying to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli blockade. The attack resulted in the killing of 10 Turkish citizens.
The two sides resumed diplomatic relations in 2016, but two years later, specifically in May 2018, Turkey recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv and expelled the Israeli ambassador in Ankara as well as the Israeli consul general in Istanbul, after about 50 Palestinians were killed in Gaza by Israeli army bullets, and Israel responded by expelling Turkish Consul General in Jerusalem.