By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
Israel and Turkey have reconciled. Netanyahu called Erdogan and apologized - and the apology was accepted. Erdogan responded saying that Turkey and Israel will now normalize relations.
Turkey and Israel have been in crisis since May 31, 2010 when Israelis commandos boarded a Turkish ship which was part of a flotilla en route to Gaza. Nine people on board the ship were killed.
It seems that President Obama made it all happen. At his final press conference in Israel, at the airport, as he was leaving, the US president said that the United States values the friendship it has with its allies Turkey and Israel.
Obama probably convinced Netanyahu to apologize, then called Erdogan, prepped him, and put Bibi on the phone.
Until now Israel official said that they "regretted" what happened on the flotilla ship, but never apologized.
Israel offered to pay compensation but that was not enough. Turkey needed that word. They needed an apology. Once done, it has all gone back to normal. And now Turkey is willing to accept the compensation that Netanyahu had originally offered.
Why was an apology so significant --- pride. It was about Turkish national pride.
And in the interest of regional stability --- Israel can now afford to apologize.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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