Turkey appointed a new ambassador to Israel Thursday, amid thawing ties between Jerusalem and Ankara.
According to a report by Anadolu Agency, Sakir Ozkan Torunlar has been tapped to serve as Turkey’s new ambassador to the Jewish state.
From 2010 to 2013, Torunlar served as Turkey’s consul general in Jerusalem.
Once Torunlar presents his credentials to Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, he will become the first Turkish ambassador to Israel since Ankara recalled its previous ambassador in 2018, after Arab rioters from Gaza where shot and killed while charging Israel’s border.
After hitting a nadir in 2010, when a Turkish ship attempted to run Israel’s security blockage of the Gaza Strip, prompting the IDF to seize control of the vessel, relations between Jerusalem and Ankara remained frigid for over a decade.
Under the Bennett-Lapid government, however, relations have thawed, with President Isaac Herzog visiting Turkey this March to meet with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Erdogan.
In September, Israel tapped Irit Lillian, head of the Israeli mission in Ankara for the last two years, to serve as ambassador to Turkey.