The claim about Turkey ethnically cleansing Kurds from Afrin and replacing them with Palestinian settlers is a serious one and should be carefully examined through reliable sources. There are documented reports of forced displacement in Afrin following Turkey’s military operations, but the specific claim about 10,000 Palestinians being resettled there has not been widely substantiated.
The situation in Afrin, a Kurdish-majority region in northern Syria, has been heavily impacted by Turkey’s military operations, particularly since the 2018 “Operation Olive Branch.” Many human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the UN, have reported on significant human rights abuses in the region. These include allegations of forced displacement of Kurds, demographic engineering, property seizures, and violence carried out by Turkish-backed Syrian rebel groups. However, the numbers and details of specific settler groups, especially involving Palestinians, are less frequently mentioned or verified in reputable sources.
It is known that many Arab Syrians, displaced from other parts of Syria during the civil war, have been resettled in Afrin, but this includes a broader group rather than specifically Palestinians.
To verify these specific numbers and claims, it is essential to consult independent and credible sources, such as international human rights organizations, the UN, or reliable news outlets with a focus on the region.
Reports suggest that Turkey has been involved in resettling mostly Arab Syrians, displaced from other parts of Syria, into areas previously inhabited by Kurds. Human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have documented serious abuses, including forced displacements, property seizures, and the construction of settlements in the region under Turkish occupation.
One of the more complex aspects of this situation involves Palestinian NGOs. Some reports indicate that a few Palestinian organizations have financially contributed to settlement projects in Afrin, leading to tensions. For example, groups like “Living with Dignity” have been linked to funding the construction of homes and mosques in Afrin. This has raised concerns among Kurdish human rights activists, who view the settlement efforts as a form of demographic engineering.
However, the exact number of Palestinians involved in these resettlements is unclear. The broader issue remains the forced displacement of over 300,000 people, primarily Kurds and Yazidis, and their replacement with various Arab groups, including some Palestinian families, but not in the numbers initially claimed.