An interesting analysis of the effects of the November 20 al Qaeda bombings in Istanbul:
The bomb blasts of November 20, 2003 may have signaled Turkey’s Israelization. That is why people felt this different fear – and much higher levels of personal insecurity.
They knew that radical Islamic terrorists did not show any mercy, not even on a Ramadan day. These terrorists did not make any distinctions between Muslims and non-Muslims. Isn’t that the same fear they feel in Israel?
Day after day, whether there is a break of two days or a week-long interval, there is always at least an attempted suicide bomb attack – and the constant realization that the peaceful daily routine has been broken.
Isn’t this the fear of the people in Israel – when they go to a bazaar or a shopping center – that they worry whether they will see the end of the day alive?
Isn’t it one of the reasons why Jews in Israel have developed the custom of never leaving the home with a bad word to one another? They leave their home always with a kiss and a smile on their face – thinking it might be their last memory of their loved ones.
The Dish 