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Turks and Israelis Alike Welcome Reconciliation

The announcement of a historic reconciliation between Turkey and Israel catches Shlomi Eldar in the middle of a family vacation in Antalya.
Israeli forces approach one of six ships bound for Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea May 31, 2010. Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a profound diplomatic crisis. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (POLITICS CIVIL UNREST IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2ELIM
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Belek, Antalya - It seems so appropriate that I’m here in Turkey just when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan make up. I came here for a family vacation, after giving countless explanations to friends as to why — and how dare I — visit a country that has become so hostile, and whose prime minister makes incessant verbal assaults against my own country.

As soon as I heard about the historic reconciliation, I went down to the lobby of my hotel in Belek and tried to work out my new status there. I wanted to know if there was any change in the way my Turkish hosts perceived me as an Israeli. Until yesterday [March 22], I was met with nervous chuckles and wayward glances whenever I introduced myself. That was what happened when my children and I shared an elevator with a guest in a tailored suit. We exchanged a few pleasantries, but when we reached our final stop, he asked, “Where are you from?”

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