Eitan Naeh, Israel’s new ambassador to Turkey, presented his credentials to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara on Monday.
The ties between Turkey and Israel had been tense since 2010, when the Israeli navy killed nine Turkish and one Turkish-American pro-Palestinian activists who were part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla heading to Gaza to deliver aid.
Turkey demanded an official apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed and the lifting of Israel’s Gaza blockade.
Turkey and Israel normalized relations in August after the Turkish Parliament approved a deal in June for Israel to pay $20 million in compensation to victims on board the Mavi Marmara.
Israel named Naeh as its ambassador to Turkey while Turkey named Kemal Ökem as its ambassador to Israel last month.
