Many Gaza Strip residents have not too long ago moved to Turkey in the hunt for job opportunities and higher residing requirements amid the deteriorating financial circumstances within the besieged enclave.
The facilitations provided to acquire a Turkish visa and reside inside Turkish territory make Turkey a prime vacation spot for Gazans.
1000’s of Palestinian households in Gaza have Turkish origins. Khaled al-Katib, a Palestinian citizen of Turkish origin, instructed Al-Monitor, “Our household originates from the Turkish metropolis of Izmir. My grandfather, who was within the Ottoman military, was dispatched to Palestine the place he settled and shaped his circle of relatives. A long time later, I headed to Turkey to lookup our household tree. Official papers confirmed that we’re of Turkish origin. I utilized for Turkish citizenship, and now I’m within the means of acquiring it.”
He defined that “holding Turkish citizenship has many advantages akin to free schooling and well being care and the proper to personal property. When a resident in Turkey reaches the age of 60, whether or not employed in Turkey or not, she or he will probably be entitled to a month-to-month pension — in contrast to in Gaza — and a Turkish passport.”
Al-Monitor spoke to Metin Kaya, a Turkish citizen and a reporter for Anadolu Company who has lived in Gaza for almost 9 years. He stated, “I used to be born in Istanbul in 1991. I got here to Gaza in 2008 when my father labored with Turkey’s Humanitarian Aid Basis (IHH) in Gaza. In 2012, I married a Gazan lady. I didn’t really feel massive variations between the Palestinian and Turkish societies, and I shortly built-in with the Gazan society.”
He added, “Though the Gaza Strip has an unstable safety state of affairs, in contrast to in Turkey, I find it irresistible very a lot. I obtained a extreme hand harm on the primary day of the return marches in October 2015 whereas masking the occasions within the Nahal Oz space, east of Gaza Metropolis, regardless of carrying a press jacket.”
The historical past of Palestinian-Turkish relations is traced again to the Ottoman Empire that dominated the Arab world, together with Palestine, for 4 centuries from 1517 till its fall in 1922.
Trendy Turkey underneath the Justice and Improvement Celebration (AKP) represents a mannequin of average and fashionable Islamic rule. It’s seen as a terrific Sunni energy within the Center East area, which is why it has turn out to be a beautiful vacation spot for Palestinians searching for stability in a rustic with considerably comparable cultural, social and spiritual values.
In flip, historian Nasser al-Yafawi instructed Al-Monitor, “There are numerous Palestinian households with Turkish origins akin to al-Gharbawi, Tarzi, Turk, Birkdar, Jukmadar, Radwan, Jasir and al-Jamasi. Additionally household names ending with the letters ‘ji’ are sometimes of Turkish origin, akin to al-Batniji and al-Shorbaji.”
He continued, “Turkey has left quite a few cultural legacies in Gaza, with greater than 1,100 Ottoman words nonetheless used within the Palestinian dialect akin to ‘Bek,’ ‘Pasha,’ ‘Effendi,’ ‘Saraya,’ ‘Maqam’ and ‘Akzkhana’ (Turkish for hospital). Additionally, a number of Turkish cultural customs have been maintained in Palestine, akin to hospitality, the usage of blue evil eye beads and taking off footwear on the door.”
Additionally, Turkish archaeological websites in Gaza present the extent of the shut relations between the Ottoman civilization and the Palestinians, akin to Al-Rifa’yia fountain, Katib al-Wilaya Mosque and Hamam al-Sammara. In 2015, a number of Ottoman cash have been unearthed within the Shujaiya space.
In the meantime, it’s believed that Gaza housed greater than 200 arched alleys constructed through the Ottoman rule, with solely few remaining right now, whereas 200 historic Ottoman-style homes stay intact to today.
Al-Monitor spoke with Mkhaimer Abu Sada, a political science professor at Al-Azhar College in Gaza Metropolis, about Turkish-Palestinian political relations relationship again a whole lot of years.
“For the reason that Ottoman rule, Turks consider they’re the guardians of Palestine. Now, the AKP, which promotes Islamic values, is displaying robust support to Hamas in Gaza, whose ideological mother or father group is the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Abu Sada added, “In Istanbul there’s a avenue referred to as Gaza Road and a sq. named Palestine Sq.. This can be a signal of robust mutual historic heritage and a shared ideology. The Turks really feel they’ve an ethical obligation to help Palestine.”
Al-Monitor couldn’t independently confirm the title of the road and sq., however Abu Sada insists he noticed the streets throughout a visit to Turkey.
On Turkish projects supporting Gaza’s economic system, Al-Monitor contacted numerous Turkish aid organizations situated within the Gaza Strip and Ramallah, together with the IHH, the Palestine-Turkey Friendship Hospital and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Company (TIKA).
These organizations spoke concerning the nature of their work and packages, which primarily focuses on aid tasks fairly than growth tasks. The organizations obtain the names of poor households in Palestine from the Ministry of Social Affairs. They supply meals assist and different commodities for the poor and needy, faculty provides for the orphans and cash for these whose houses have been destroyed through the newest Israeli aggression on Gaza final 12 months.
TIKA, for its half, presents assist within the schooling, well being and archaeological fields, and it conducts infrastructure tasks. The affiliation additionally constructed the Palestine-Turkey Friendship Hospital in Gaza
Al-Monitor additionally reached out to the Turkish-Palestine Friendship Affiliation in Ramallah, which is the one Turkish affiliation that provides growth tasks in Palestine.
Mohammed Jawhar, head of the affiliation’s board of administrators, instructed Al-Monitor, “Our affiliation goals to determine direct relations between Palestinian merchants and Turkish merchants with out the necessity for an Israeli mediator. This may assist ease the burden of taxes Palestinian clients should pay. The affiliation additionally works to create direct relations between native organizations and their companions inside Turkey.”
He added, “The Turkish-Palestine Friendship Affiliation commonly holds technical, cultural and growth coaching classes for native organizations, together with programs on Turkish language.”
Samir Abu Mudallalah, an economics professor at Al-Azhar College, spoke to Al-Monitor concerning the noticeable Turkish position within the Gaza Strip, particularly by way of supporting establishments and universities. “Turkey has applied tangible aid tasks and infrastructure tasks. We hope the longer term tasks will probably be growth tasks and never solely aid tasks whose affect is momentary. Improvement tasks can curb unemployment and alleviate poverty.”
He added, “Turkey is a business outlet to the Gaza Strip, because it has turn out to be one of many favourite locations for Gazans searching for higher residing circumstances overseas. Many Gazan retailers are working with Turkey, and this actually breaks Israel’s financial hegemony over the enclave.”
