Political activism

The prosecutor in the Mavi Marmara case demanded its dismissal on Dec. 2, citing a reconciliation deal signed between Turkey and Israel, one day after Israel's new ambassador to Ankara, Eitan Na'eh, arrived in the Turkish capital to take up his post.

Eitan Na'eh, the new Israeli ambassador to Ankara, will start his duty on Dec. 1, while Turkey's Ambassador to Israel, Kemal Ökem, will be in Tel Aviv in the first week of December, according to sources. 

Turkey and Israel decided to appoint the ambassadors' mutually, following the resolution of a major diplomatic crisis. 

A strong wind whipped up forest and bush fires across Israel and the West Bank on Nov. 24, causing the worst rash of fires since 2010 when the country suffered the single deadliest wildfire in history. 

Turkey had proposed to offer aid by sending firefighting aircraft to Israel, which Israel accepted. 

The Turkish-Israeli normalization process is continuing, albeit at a slow pace.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry nominated the deputy ambassador to Britain, Eitan Na'eh, as its new envoy to Turkey. 

Kemal Ökem, chief adviser on foreign policy to the prime minister, will be Turkey's first ambassador to Israel after a six-year split, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

Ambassador Mekin Mustafa Kemal Ökem has been named Turkey's new ambassador to Israel, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Nov. 16.

"He took up the position yesterday," Erdoğan told reporters before he departed for Pakistan. 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has nominated Eitan Na'eh as the new ambassador to Turkey, although the prospective envoy first needs to pass the Israeli government's security committee in order to be formally appointed to Ankara. 

The United States strongly supports a proposal to transport Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey with the side aim of ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East, John Bass, the U.S. ambassador to Ankara, told Anadolu Agency on Oct. 13.      

Turkey and Israel will conclude the process of mutual appointment of ambassadors within a week or ten days at most, announced the spokesperson of Turkish President Erdogan, reported Reuters.

The exchange of ambassadors is a key step in the process of normalising bi-lateral relations. Earlier, the two countries agreed on deepening their co-operation in the energy sector.

Israel and Turkey have discussed the possibility of building a natural gas pipeline between the two countries, Israel's energy minister said on Oct. 13, in the first Israeli ministerial visit to Turkey since relations came to a halt in 2010.