Israel will not appoint a new ambassador to Turkey

Israel said it had decided not to appoint a new ambassador to Turkey, in response to Ankara’s refusal to return its ambassador to Tel Aviv.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nakhshon said today that Israel had decided not to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara.

The Israeli spokesman said Tel Aviv had also decided not to appoint a new consul to Israel in Istanbul.

He pointed out that this comes in accordance with the principle of “reciprocity”.

“However, it is in Israel’s and Turkey’s interest to fully re-represent diplomatic representation,” Nakhshon said.

Turkey deported its ambassador to Israel, and recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv in protest of the killing of 60 unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza. Palestinians had been demonstrating against the US’ decision to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in mid-May a day before they commemorated the Nakba which saw nearly a million Palestinians forced out of their homes to make way for the creation of the state of Israel.

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