Why fewer Palestinians learn Turkish
Turkey has been a top study destination for Palestinians since 2010, but that is changing.
Gaza City, Gaza Strip — Since the Israeli navy stormed Turkey’s Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010, which resulted in the killing of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists who were aboard the ship that was heading to the Gaza Strip in a bid to break the Israeli blockade imposed since 2007, Turkey has become an important destination for Palestinian youth seeking to study, work and lead a better life.
Since then, Palestinians had become increasingly interested in the Turkish culture and language, and Turkish language schools and institutes in the Gaza Strip gained popularity.
However, over the past few years, the Palestinians’ demand to learn Turkish in these schools has decreased as well as their desire to travel to Turkey for work or take up residence. This reluctance has increased significantly in the past few months.
The Ottoman Culture Center, established by Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) in 2009, and funded by the Turkish government, is one of the most important centers for language and computer studies in Gaza.
