Gaza flotilla raid

Turkish gunboat with army chief sails into Greek waters; military on high alert

The Greek military was on high alert on Sunday after a Turkish gunboat carrying Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar sailed into Greek waters and around the Imia islets at around 10.30 a.m.

The Turkish gunboat was escorted by several assault craft carrying commandos, which also circled the islets that brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war 21 years ago, almost to the day.

Israeli official to visit Turkey on Feb 1 for political discussions

The Israeli Foreign Ministry's undersecretary will meet his Turkish counterpart next week for political consultations over the two countries' normalization process, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hüseyin Müftüoğlu said Jan. 26.

The Israeli official will visit the Turkish capital on Feb. 1, a Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News. 

Turkish, Israeli top soldiers meet for first time since rapprochement

Turkey's chief of General Staff, Gen. Hulusi Akar, has met his Israeli counterpart for the first time since the two countries normalized their ties in the wake of the 2010 Mavi Marmara Massacre. 

The meeting came on the sidelines of a NATO conference for defense heads between Jan. 17-18 in Brussels, the Turkish Armed Forces said. 

Turkey expresses concern over new Israeli settlement project

The Turkish government has expressed concern over Israel's plans to establish a new settlement project on occupied Palestinian territories, in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry late on Dec. 8. 

The statement recalled a bill currently being discussed in the Knesset that will permit the creation of new settlements of 4,000 homes to be built on Palestinian territories. 

New Israeli ambassador presents credentials to President Erdoğan

Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Eitan Na'eh has presented his credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to officially begin his tenure in Ankara, after six years of low-level diplomatic representation due to the Mavi Marmara crisis of 2010. 

Turkish Ambassador to Israel Kemal Öke will begin his work in Tel Aviv on Dec. 12.

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