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Would Turkey Take in Gaza Refugees?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, July 26, 2023. Photo: Reuters/Palestinian Presidents’ Office
JNS.org – The Chinese tell us that crises are opportunities. Might this be true of the Israel-Hamas war as well?
After the war in Gaza ends, even if the education system is thoroughly changed to promote coexistence, these children will still learn from their parents and the surrounding Islamic milieu that once a territory is conquered and Islamized, it must be ruled by Muslims forever. Yes, there can be temporary ceasefires that last centuries, but Muslims are patient people.
This holds true for the Land of Israel as well. Muslims cannot recognize the right of Jews to permanently rule any part of a land once conquered by Muslims.
One must ask, then, how the issue of a Gaza that will remain at war with Israel can be addressed. Are there other options than perpetual Israeli control?
One possible option could be Turkey, even though its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is an implacable enemy of Israel. Would Erdoğan be interested in taking in voluntary immigrants from Gaza?
Although Erdoğan’s Sunni Islamic identity is most important to him, he sees himself as very much an ethnic Turk as well. Turkey has a large Kurdish minority, which is also Sunni, but the Kurds see themselves as ethnically Kurdish, not Turkish.
Erdoğan himself has stated publicly that by 2038, the populations of Kurds and Turks will reach parity. According to his Interior Ministry, however, this is already the case. How, Erdoğan must be wondering, can Turkey stave off this impending “Kurdification” and keep Turkey overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim and culturally Turkish? He is faced with this question because the ethnic Turkish birthrate is far below replacement while the Kurdish birthrate is well above the Turkish birthrate.
One answer might be taking in Gaza refugees. Turkish Sunni culture is similar to that of the Sunni Arabs south of Turkey, including Syrians and Palestinians. Kurdish culture, on the other hand, is quite different. As a result, Arab immigrants from south of Turkey assimilate into the dominant Turkish culture, which is by far the dominant culture of Turkey.
This has proved to be the case with the four million Syrian Arabs who have fled to Turkey to escape their country’s horrific civil war. Erdoğan happily accepted them, understanding that they would almost certainly integrate into Turkish culture rather than Kurdish culture. This would stave off the “day of reckoning” with Turkey’s Kurds.
Erdoğan has done the same with Arab Sunnis from Gaza. He had his parliament pass a law allowing Palestinians to settle in Turkey, where they receive state support. These immigrants have included mostly males aged between 15-35, and some have been from Judea and Samaria as well as Gaza. Women and their families have also immigrated.
It is true that many people in Turkey resent this because they are prejudiced against Arabs. But they have been powerless to stop it, because Erdoğan wields near-absolute power in Turkey and is an adept politician who knows how to get what he wants.
Would large numbers of Gazans move to Turkey if given the chance? Based on conversations I have had over the years with Arabs from Judea, Samaria and Gaza, I believe that a great many would jump at the opportunity to start a new life elsewhere. They know they would be freer in countries like Turkey than they are under the tyrannical rule of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, given Turkey’s generous policies towards them, these Palestinians would certainly have a brighter future in Turkey than they have now.
Moreover, Gazans largely support Hamas, which is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Erdoğan is a major leader in that movement and would be happy to gain even more citizens who support his goal of spreading his Islamic radicalism. This is one reason he has given Hamas representatives refugee status in Turkey, as well as Turkish citizenship and passports. Clearly, accepting large numbers of Gazans would be a win-win for Erdoğan.
Moreover, allowing Gaza civilians currently displaced by the fighting to voluntarily immigrate should not just be considered, but viewed as a basic human right.
In the past, wars have often produced refugees. At the end of World War II, more than a million people were displaced. Germans left Czechoslovakia and what is today western Poland. When India was partitioned, millions of Hindus fled their homes in today’s Pakistan and Bangladesh, while many Indian Muslims fled to those areas from Hindu-dominated India. Within five to 10 years, these refugees assimilated into the cultures of the countries to which they fled.
The Palestinian refugee problem is the only one that has never been solved. Maybe, given all of the above, Turkey could be at least part of the solution.
The post Would Turkey Take in Gaza Refugees? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Jets Attack Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings to Stop Arms Amuggling
Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike in southern Lebanon village, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, Oct. 3, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Jim Urquhar
Israeli jets struck seven crossing points along the Syria-Lebanon border on Friday, aiming to cut the flow of weapons to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon.
Israeli troops also seized a truck mounted with a 40-barrel rocket launcher in southern Lebanon, part of a haul from various areas that included explosives, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 automatic rifles, the military said.
The commander of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, said Hezbollah was trying to smuggle weapons into Lebanon to test Israel’s ability to stop them.
“This must not be tolerated,” he said in a statement.
Under the terms of a Nov. 27 ceasefire agreement, Israel is supposed to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in phases while unauthorised Hezbollah military facilities south of the Litani River are to be dismantled.
However, each side has accused the other of violating the agreement, intended to end more than a year of fighting that began with Hezbollah missile strikes on Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, from Gaza.
On Thursday, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon called for Israeli forces to withdraw, citing what it said were repeated violations of the deal.
Israel, which destroyed large parts of Hezbollah’s missile stocks during weeks of operations in southern Lebanon, has said it will not permit weapons to be smuggled to Hezbollah through Syria.
Israel has also conducted attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen in recent days and pledged to continue its campaign against Iranian-backed militant groups across the region.
The post Israeli Jets Attack Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings to Stop Arms Amuggling first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Mila Kunis Says Husband Ashton Kutcher And Their Children Helped Her Embrace Judaism: ‘I Fell in Love With My Religion’
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis at the 9th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, on April 16, 2023. Photo: Cover Media via Reuters Connect
Actress Mila Kunis began embracing and feeling proud of her Jewish heritage when she met her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, and even more so after having children, she told Israeli activist and author Noa Tishby this week.
“For me, it happened when I met my husband,” the “Goodrich” star, 41, said of her former “That ’70s Show” costar, 46, who she has been married to since 2015.
Although Kutcher is not Jewish, he was a follower of Kabbalah and was frequently photographed visiting the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles when he was married to actress Demi Moore from 2005-2013. Their wedding was also reportedly officiated by a Kabbalah Centre teacher. It remains unclear if he continues to follow Kabbalah. Nevertheless, Kunis joked that Kutcher is Jewish “by choice,” not by lineage, and that his interest in Judaism sparked Kunis to reconnect with her Jewish roots.
“I fell in love with my religion because he explained it to me,” said Kunis, who voices Meg Griffin on the Fox animated series “Family Guy.”
Kunis made the comments while joining Tishby to light candles on Thursday for the second night of Hanukkah. The two joined forces as part of Tishby’s “#BringOnTheLight campaign,” which is an eight-part video series on YouTube dedicated to spreading the message of Jewish resilience, pride and unity throughout the Jewish holiday.
Kunis and Kutcher together have two children — daughter Wyatt, 10, and son Dimitri, 8. The actress was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and moved to the United States at the age of eight. She told Tishby that she did not adhere to any Jewish traditions while growing up. “I always knew I was Jewish but I was told to never talk about,” she said. “I think because I was in a country that didn’t allow for religion.” The “Bad Moms” star added that her children also helped her tap into the religious side of Judaism.
“I was raised culturally Jewish. So for me, it’s a culture,” she said. “And as I had kids, and my kids very much identity with the religion aspect of it, I was like, ‘Oh, I guess we’re doing Shabbat and the candles. And there are so many beautiful traditions.”
“I never lit Hanukkah candles until I had kids,” she further noted.
When Kunis lit the menorah with Tishby for the second night of Hanukkah, they called Kutcher for some help. Both women were unsure if they needed to light the candles from left to right or from right to left, and asked Kutcher for guidance.
Kunis also talked about being raised with a lot of Jewish guilt and superstition. Listing another things that are culturally Jewish about her, she shared, “I have a fear of not having enough food and my fear of somebody being hungry. The worst thing my kids can say to me is, ‘I’m hungry.’”
“Food fixes everything. You’re tired, eat some food. You’re cranky, eat some food,” she joked. “A health person would say, ‘This is unhealthy and you’re doing something wrong.’ And I understand. I’m working on it. But it’s just something that is embedded in me.”
The post Mila Kunis Says Husband Ashton Kutcher And Their Children Helped Her Embrace Judaism: ‘I Fell in Love With My Religion’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Squad’ Congresswomen Blasted For ‘Happy Hanukkah’ Messages
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) shares a fist bump with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in Washington, DC, April 10, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Jim Bourg.
Left-wing, anti-Israel Congress members are receiving backlash online after posting messages in celebration of the start of Hanukkah.
On Wednesday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) all recognized the start of the Jewish holiday on Twitter/X. Almost immediately, supporters of Israel pounced on the congresswomen, pointing out that they have spent the past year peddling antisemitism and attacking the Jewish state.
“Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish neighbors in Michigan’s 12th District and around the world. May you be surrounded by love this holiday. Chag Sameach!” Tlaib posted on X/Twitter.
“Sending warm wishes to our Jewish neighbors and friends as they celebrate Hanukkah. Chag Sameach!” Omar posted on X/Twitter.
“Chanukah sameach to all who celebrate in [Pennsylvania Congressional District 12] and beyond! May this season of light inspire us to stand for justice and work toward a brighter, more equitable world. Wishing you warmth, joy, and peace,” Lee wrote on X/Twitter.
“Wishing a Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate in Missouri’s First District and beyond! Sending hope and love to you and your families. Chag Sameach,” Bush posted on X/Twitter.
All four congresswomen are members of the “Squad”— an informal cohort of progressive lawmakers with left-wing views on issues ranging from foreign policy to economics. They are also among the most strident critics of Israel in the US government. In the year following Hamas’ Oct. 7 mass slaughter of roughly 1200 people in southern Israel, progressive lawmakers have repeatedly assailed the Jewish state, condemning it for supposedly committing a “genocide” in retribution for the terrorist attacks. Members of the “Squad” have also spearheaded resolutions calling for a ceasefire between Israel and the terrorist group and the implementation of an “arms embargo on the Jewish state.
In response to the posts acknowledging the start of Hanukkah, pro-Israel social media users took shots at the congresswomen, suggesting that they have used their platforms to advance ideas and political positions harmful to the Jewish community.
“The holiday of Chanukah celebrates the re-dedication of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem – the holiest place on earth to Jews – in the Land of Israel. Thank you, [congresswomen], for acknowledging the holiday that connects Jews to the ancestral home of the Jewish nation” posted Joel Petlin, superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District.
Simmering antisemitism among the ideological left has emerged as a hot-button issue over the past year. Anti-Israel sentiment has proven politically costly for some left-wing lawmakers in the past year, with Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Cori Bush losing their seats in primary battles earlier this year. As the “Squad” continues to shrink, some speculate that progressive lawmakers may recalibrate their messaging on Israel to avoid alienating Jewish constituents.
The post ‘Squad’ Congresswomen Blasted For ‘Happy Hanukkah’ Messages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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