A Turkish warship docks in Haifa Port for first time in 12 years

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A Turkish warship docked Saturday in the Haifa port in occupied Palestine as part of a mission for NATO forces in the region, for the first time in 12 years.

The Israeli Kan channel reported that the Turkish frigate TCG Kemalreis (F-247), accompanied by the USS Forrest Sherman, an American-guided missile destroyer arrived at the Haifa port as part of a NATO patrol.

A spokesperson for Haifa Port mentioned that the frigate will remain in the port for several days.

Kan cited the captain of the Turkish warship as saying that the Israeli Ministry of Interior prevented the navigators from disembarking the TCG Kemalreison under the pretext of not holding official passports, adding that they were planning to tour Haifa and occupied Al-Quds.

The captain added that the navigators and soldiers on board the military naval vessels of the fleets of NATO countries travel using cards issued by the alliance.

Israeli media pointed out that this is the first Turkish warship to dock in an Israeli port since 2010, noting that the ship is participating in maneuvers carried out by NATO in the Mediterranean.

The Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli occupation forces (IOF) spokesperson as saying that "The docking is part of Israel’s cooperation with and support of NATO."

The arrival of the Turkish warship comes in light of the recent developments in relations between the Israeli occupation and Turkey after years of estrangement.

Relations between Ankara and "Tel Aviv" had reached their lowest level after Israeli occupation commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara ship that was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in 2010, which led to the deaths of nine Turks.

After a reconciliation deal in 2016, tensions escalated again between the two sides when both exchanged withdrawing ambassadors in 2018 over the IOF killing Palestinian protesters in Gaza, and after the US moved its embassy to occupied Al-Quds.

However, in recent months, Israeli-Turkish relations have been warming up. In March, Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara and met his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In August, Turkey and "Israel" agreed to mutually reappoint ambassadors and restore full diplomatic ties.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the Israeli occupation launched a brutal aggression on Gaza that left at least 49 martyrs, including 16 children.

It is noteworthy that according to The Jerusalem Post, Turkey and "Israel" had for years "been close allies in the defense industry, security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and military training."