National Mourning Due to Bombing in Gaza & more – 24th Oct 2023

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 24th of October twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Wednesday, the 18th, President Erdoğan declared three days of national mourning following the hospital bombing in Gaza. Many, especially people working in the entertainment sector, protested against this, arguing that a national mourning would halt their work and damage their economy.

Others said that Palestine, or any other Arab nation, didn’t declare a national mourning when Turkey was dealing with the aftermath of the devastating twin earthquakes that killed thousands of people. They questioned why Turkey would declare a period of national mourning for them.

Moving on, last week, Hakan Fidan, the Foreign Minister, said that Turkey could be a guarantor state between Israel and Palestine to oversee a two-state solution. He pointed out that, if the nations at war made a pact, regional guarantors would be necessary to ensure both parties' compliance. Fidan urged the parties to transform the conflict into a peace opportunity.

More on Turkey’s stance in the Israeli-Palestinian war…

Most politicians and the majority of the public are siding with Palestine, protesting against the Israeli actions in Gaza. Some people held demonstrations, and others boycotted Israeli products. One person even printed stickers with the Burger King logo on them and wrote, “You have the blood of babies in your food.” believing that Burger King belongs to Israelis—which is not true. Another person literally ate an Israel flag.

As a result of the growing protests, the Israeli government ordered the personnel of Israel’s embassy in Turkey to leave the country immediately. On top of that, it also warned Israelis to avoid traveling to Turkey and other Arab and Muslim countries until further notice.

In a turn of events…

On Monday the 23rd, President Erdoğan finally submitted the bill to the Turkish Parliament to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid. Recall that last week, Turkey and the US were having a bit of a disagreement regarding the matter. Turkey argued that it wouldn’t submit the motion until the US moved forward with its F-16 fighter jet sales to Turkey. There’s no news on the sale. However, Erdoğan seems to have taken a step back.

On Tuesday, the 17th, the Turkish National Assembly approved a motion to extend the Turkish military actions in Iraq and Syria for two years. The motion aimed to address the increasing national security threat the PKK and ISIS pose to Turkey on the Iraq and Syria border.

President Erdoğan tabled the motion, and it received the support of the ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP, the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, and some opposition parties too.

However, the main opposition, the Republican People's Party, or the CHP, opposed the motion because of a clause allowing foreign military presence in Turkey. The CHP even ran a campaign against it, using the slogan "No foreign combat boots in Turkey."

Recall that news of a child marriage broke out earlier this year after a twenty-six-year-old woman reported to the police that her family married her off to a man twenty years ago when she was only six years old. The court held the final trial and sentenced the parents and the so-called husband to prison for ten years each.

Now, back to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for a moment…

On Saturday, the 21st, Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the MHP, took to social media to urge Turkey to intervene in Gaza in response to Israel's ongoing actions. He stated that if the two countries couldn’t reach a ceasefire within twenty-four hours and the attacks continued, Turkey should swiftly step in, saying that it was Turkey’s historical, humanitarian, and religious duty to protect Gaza, as it was once Ottoman land. However, the time’s up, and no one took Bahçeli seriously enough to act on his words, let alone consider it.

More on international relations…

On Monday the 23rd, Donald Trump, the former US President, mistakenly called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the leader of Turkey during a campaign speech. He said that Orbán was “one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world.”

Now some local news…

Bodrum, a popular tourist destination in Turkey, is facing water scarcity due to a severe drought. Two dams that supply water to the city have been shut off, and the municipality is providing water through tankers in some neighborhoods. Unfortunately, even that is a privilege, as residents haven’t received water in over ten days in some areas. İzmir and İstanbul are also at risk of drought.

What about the country’s battle with narcotics?

Well, with the new interior minister, the country has been giving addiction and the fight against narcotics its utmost attention. The ministry has been reporting the success of its operations. Just this month, the teams have seized hundreds of pounds of drugs.

Onto some news on education…

Turkey's Education and Science Workers’ Union shared a memo titled "We Can't Make Ends Meet," shedding light on the financial struggles of teachers and education workers across the country. The report painted a harsh picture, with hundreds of thousands of education personnel barely making it, living close to the hunger threshold. Their wages haven't kept up with the rising costs, making it hard to afford rent or eat healthily, especially in big cities.

The union demanded that the government double the budget allocation for the Education Ministry and Council of Higher Education to match the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, best known as OECD. It also requested more school funding and that all education and science workers earn wages above the poverty line.

Some good news for yoga enthusiasts…

The 6th International Bodrum Yoga and Healthy Living Festival will take place between Wednesday the 25th and Sunday the 29th. It will feature dozens of workshops and seminars on wellness practices, both in person and online. For more information, you can check out the Instagram page of the festival. Link in the show notes!

And lastly…

Next Sunday, the 29th, Turkey will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic. This is a significant milestone, and there will be many celebrations. The government and municipalities prepared digital exhibitions, 3D shows, and other events, which, according to the executive, will showcase the country’s accelerating success in many areas, including healthcare, education, technology, defense, foreign policy, culture, and art.

There will be a show with drones and fireworks on the Bosphorus in İstanbul, and special light shows and bands playing the 100th Year March in historical places.

And that’s it for this week!

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