A Turkish warship has docked in Israel for the first such visit in more than a decade as relations between the two countries improve following a resumption of ties last month.
The frigate Kemalreis docked in Haifa on Saturday as part of NATO manoeuvres in the Mediterranean sea, a Turkish official said. An Israeli official said Ankara had submitted a preliminary request for the crew to disembark on shore leave.
A Haifa port official said it was the first time a Turkish naval vessel had visited since at least 2010, when bilateral ties were shattered by Israel's storming of the Turkish Mavi Marmara ship, part of a flotilla trying to penetrate a blockade by carrying aid into Gaza in 2010. Ten civilians were killed in the incident by Israeli marines.
Israel has voiced objections at NATO-member Turkey's hosting of members of Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement that rules the Gaza strip.
Israel, however, continues to impose a 15-year-long blockade on the enclave, depriving its residents from movement as well as the receiving of aid and medicine.
But Turkey and Israel have moved to mend relations in recent months, with energy emerging as a key area for potential cooperation. They are expected to appoint new ambassadors soon.
However, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had warned that closer ties with Israel should not be interpreted as Ankara "giving up on the Palestinian cause".
In May, Cavusoglu became the first Turkish foreign minister to visit Israel in 15 years, during a trip which also saw him meet the Palestinian leadership in the occupied West Bank.
Turkey's move to normalise ties with Israel comes as a number of Arab states have established diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, beginning in 2020 when the UAE signed the Donald Trump-brokered Abraham Accords. Morocco and Bahrain also followed suite, with Palestinians describing the move as a stab in the back for the Palestinian cause.
(Reuters)