Israel and Turkey are doing something they haven't done in six years: holding high-level diplomatic talks. On Feb. 1, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem met with his Turkish counterpart, Umit Yalcin, in Ankara. Rotem also met with Israeli Embassy consular staff and plans to meet with members of the Turkish Jewish community, as well as Istanbul's governor. Turkey will follow up by sending its culture and tourism minister to Tel Aviv from Feb. 7-8 to meet with his Israeli counterpart. Though Israel and Turkey exchanged ambassadors in December, these meetings are an effort to make good on a reconciliation agreement struck in 2016 to resume the countries' ruptured relations. Soured Israeli-Turkish ties trace back to 2010. In response to the threat that the Hamas militant group presented to Israeli security, Israel blockaded the Gaza Strip, a practice that continues to this day.