incident

On Wednesday, Turkish President Erdogan named his country’s ambassador to Israel, signaling the nearing of the full renewal of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which ruptured following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident. Turkey’s Kemal Ökem was selected to head the embassy in Tel Aviv the day after senior diplomat Eitan Na’eh was nominated as Israel’s ambassador in Ankara. Ökem was nominated to the ambassadorship from his current position of foreign policy adviser to the Turkish Prime Minister. Once Na’eh’s appointment is approved by the cabinet, Israel and Turkey are expected to simultaneously announce the mutual exchange of ambassadors.