As part of a reconciliation agreement signed between Ankara and Jerusalem in June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Kemal Okem, a foreign policy expert and close confidant of the Turkish leader, as the new ambassador to Israel. The appointment comes less than 24 hours after Israel announced its own ambassador to Turkey, Eitan Na’eh, who currently serves as Israel’s deputy head of mission at the Israeli embassy in London. Na’eh has specialized in Turkish affairs during his career and served in Ankara in 1991 as second and then first secretary for political affairs. The announcement by both countries, as part of the reconciliation agreement, is the first time that Israel and Turkey have exchanged ambassadors since diplomatic relations were downgraded in 2011. The naming of the ambassadors was the final stage of the agreement between both countries to fully normalize relations.
