 In February 2017, Israel decided not to return its ambassador to New Zealand and permanently downgraded its diplomatic relations with New Zealand to the level of chargés d'affaires, which is the lowest level of diplomatic relations.On June 14, the Israeli government restored full diplomatic relations with New Zealand after Prime Minister Bill English sent a letter expressing regret at fallout from UN Resolution 2334.The letter was preceded by discreet diplomatic contacts between the two governments and a telephone conversation between English and his Israeli counterpart Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.