Istiqlal street in Istanbul
'We never hated you'
In the wake of the Israel-Turkey reconciliation agreement and the terror attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, Turks have mixed feelings regarding deal
Two days after 42 people were murdered in a terror attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, it seems that reactions to the reconciliation agreement with Israel are still mixed.
The immediate impact of the two political agreements is mainly economic, with the return of millions of Russian tourists, and perhaps even Israeli tourists as well.
In the tourist area located next to Taksim Square there were still some people opposed to the political developments which led to an end to the end of the prolonged break with Israel. Not far away, on the Bosporus Straits sits the Mavi Marmara as a symbol of the six year conflict which has finally come to an end.
Meanwhile, The Hurriyet Daily News – one of Turkey's largest papers – spoke about the reconciliation deal with Israel and with Russia in the same breath.
Israeli and Russian reconciliation agreements mentioned in the same breath (Photo: Yoav Zitun)
"For me and my friends, we were never in any conflict with (Israel)," said a young Turkish student at the airport. "The conflict was only between governments. The Turkish people are too similar and to close to Israel to hate (the country). It's hard to say the era of hatred is over because it was never like that. The protests which happened after the Mavi Marmara incident were organized by political extremists who don't represent the majority of Turks."
A Turkish businessman who works for a German company in Istanbul made comparisons between the Israeli and Turkish security situations.
Istiqlal street in Istanbul (Photo: Yoav Zitun)
"Terrorist organizations want to create chaos in Turkey because Turkey is actively fighting against them. This is why this country has been chosen as a target. But we're not afraid of them – life needs to go on and it does go on."
Regarding the reconciliation agreement, the businessman said "it was done too late. Our two nations need to be friends."
Despite this, the Israeli Counter Terrorism Directorate has issued a warning to Israelis against visiting Turkey - a warning which has been in place for several months - and even told Israelis to leave the country as soon as possible. It also said in its warning that "Israeli tourists who are currently in Turkey are requested from going to crowded tourist attractions, to listen to local security forces and news, and vacate the country immediately."
