A senior envoy for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been dispatched to Israel in an attempt to normalize ties between the two countries. Israel’s Channel 10 News, as reported by The Times of Israel, broke news that the envoy has been meeting with high-ranking officials including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated following the death of eight Turkish nationals and one American of Turkish origin after Israeli naval commandos raided the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara as it attempted to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza in 2010. Turkey had demanded an official apology from Israeli leadership, a request rebuffed by Netanyahu.
Advertisement