Foreign Ministry Director-General Yuval Rotem is scheduled to travel to Turkey next week as Jerusalem and Ankara resume diplomatic relations. Diplomatic relations broke down after the Marvi Mamara affair in which Turkish nationals were killed when IDF naval commandos boarded the Marvi Marmara trying to break the IDF marine blockade on Gaza. The commandos came under attack. This led to a chain of events and a total breakdown in relations.

Rotem will be meeting with senior Turkish Foreign Ministry officials as well as with Israeli Embassy staff in Ankara, Israeli Consulate staff in Istanbul and local Jewish leaders.

This is viewed as a first step in rebuilding diplomatic relations, which were once strong, to the extent that Israel and Turkey participated in joint military exercises.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)