Saturday 27 April 2013

Al Iskandaron The Other Syrian Usurped Land

Daniel Mabsout,
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Do you think Palestine is the only Arab land that is being usurped or that the only occupied Syrian land is the Golan Heights ?? not at all ; long before Israel was declared a state and long before the Golan was occupied by the Zionists, the state of Turkey acting with the help of European countries annexed the Syrian province of Al Iskandaron , which means that 4800 km2 were robbed from the Syrian region that falls north on the borders with Turkey , a vast region that the Turks usurped in year 1939 after an agreement with France and against the resolution of the League of Nations who prevented any country from transferring or disposing of any region of the countries that fell under its mandate . The Turks and the French violated the laws of the League and made the Syrian al Iskandaron part of Turkey .

The Arab identity of the district was never denied by the Ottomans , and it became part of Syria after the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire and was affiliated officially to Aleppo but Turkey insisted then and because of the Turkish minority that lived in the district that the district be administratively independent with Turks enjoying cultural and linguistic rights which was granted to Turkey in 1936 and the district enjoyed an independent administration with two delegates one Syrian and the other Turk, but was affiliated to Syria in money , borders and foreign policy and was devoid of weapons and placed under the final supervision of the League of Nations . But this settlement was not to satisfy the Turks who - after introducing 2500 army men to the province- started a great operation of falsifications which was witnessed by the committee sent by the League of Nations itself to register the inhabitants of the province in preparation of the elections . The Turks threatened and forced Arabs to register themselves in the Turkish records using different means of intimidation and actual incarceration , but still the Arabs outnumbered the Turks who then resorted to falsifying the elections themselves and formed a cabinet that was exclusively formed of Turks with the help of France.

The Turkish distorted means to control the Syrian province continued with the help of France but it was not until year 1939 that the Turks succeeded in occupying it and annexing it to Turkey giving it the name of Hatay and this after a political agreement with France in which Turkey will side with France against France giving to Turkey the Iskandaron province which was by definition against International law..

The 130 thousands Arabs who populated the province were given the choice to leave after selling their property which property was confiscated by the Turkish authorities . Annexing the province is still considered illegal by the International Community and al Iskandaron is still considered a Syrian land that falls within the jurisdiction of Syria.



River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
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