According to an announcement made by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Monday, Irit Lillian will serve as Israel’s new ambassador to Turkey. Lillian has been a senior diplomat—the charge d’affaires in Ankara since 2021—and has been instrumental in the process of reconciling the two nations, who have been at odds for the last decade.
Four years ago, in 2018, after years of fiery rhetoric and conflict (mostly over the tensions in Gaza), Turkey recalled its ambassador and kicked Israel out of the country.
For the last two years, diplomatic relations have been thawing, and earlier this year, Israel President Isaac Herzog was invited by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an official visit. In August, the two countries announced they would restore full diplomatic ties.
“From the beginning, it was clear that we were building a process in which we agree to disagree,”…
