(Israel Hayom) Nadav Shragai - Last March, the Turkish government gave the Palestinian Authority 140,000 pages of microfilm of the Ottoman Archive, including thousands of documents of land registration from 1517-1917 in what is now Israel. The Palestinians have already used the archive to challenge Israeli ownership of land and real estate in various parts of the country. Turkish President Erdogan, a patron of the Muslim Brotherhood, seeks to restore Islam's glory throughout "Palestine" and with special emphasis on Jerusalem. He is promoting a Turkish national awakening in the city through cultural events, Turkish flags, and especially dawa - charity, education, and social assistance to bring people closer to Islam. This is known as the "quiet jihad." In Israel, dozens of dawa groups receive funding from Turkey, thus strengthening Turkey's influence. In the past two years, the Turks have funded a replacement for the gold crescent that tops the Dome of the Rock and the reconstruction of other Islamic monuments on the Temple Mount. Turkish organizations are also funding the rebuilding of mosques in Jaffa and Haifa and pay the salaries of dozens of imams throughout Israel. In Jerusalem, 130 buildings have been restored thus far thanks to Turkish money.
2020-01-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive