Today, Thursday, the Palestinian "Al-Aloul" family handed over to the Turkish government "paper money" left by an Ottoman officer, as a "trust" it had during the First World War.

The secretariat was handed over in a special ceremony held at the headquarters of the Nablus Governorate, the highest official body in the city of Nablus, to the Turkish Consul General in Jerusalem Ahmed Rida Demir.

In his speech during the handover ceremony, the Turkish Consul thanked the Palestinian family of Al-Aloul for keeping the secretariat, and expressed his happiness for visiting the city of Nablus and participating in the event of handing over the trust.

Handing over "the Secretariat" in a special ceremony held at the headquarters of Nablus Governorate (Anatolia)

100 years

"The Turkish and Palestinian peoples have a lot in common, we separated 100 years ago, it was an administrative separation, but our hearts are always together," he added.

"I came today to take over the trust, which has been preserved by the Al-Aloul family for 100 years," he continued.

The Turkish Consul expressed his hope that the suffering of the Palestinian people "who have been suffering from the occupation for 100 years" would end, and that "peace would be achieved in the near future."

The Turkish Consul in Jerusalem Ahmet Rida Demir received the "Amanat" from the Palestinian "Alul" family in Nablus (Anatolia)

For his part, Ragheb Helmy Al-Aloul, who kept the trust after the death of his father and grandfather, said that the "Turkish trust" is a deposit he placed with his grandfather "Omar Al-Aloul", an officer of the Ottoman army at the time, without knowing his name.

Al-Aloul added, in a speech he gave during the ceremony, that that officer Ali was personally acquainted with his grandfather's brother (Muti' Al-Aloul), who was also serving in the Ottoman army, when the First World War broke out.

He stated that Mutee' Al-Aloul placed the deposit with his brother Omar (Ragheb's grandfather), without writing the name of the Ottoman officer on it, and (the Ottoman officer and Mutee Al-Aloul) went to war, "and the trust remained in the safe until today," explaining that the fate of his grandfather's brother "Muti` Al-Aloul" And the Ottoman officer, is not known yet.

He referred to official Palestinian contacts that preceded the handover, "to reach the last chapter of the secretariat today."

He expressed his hope that the secretariat would be placed in a "Turkish museum", and that "the Palestinian narrative on the subject" would be referred to.

The trust is 152 Ottoman liras in Surra, and its value at the time is about 30 thousand US dollars (Anatolia).

cloth bundle

The secretariat amounts to 152 Ottoman liras placed in a bundle (a piece of cloth).

According to Turkish historians, the value of this money, at that time, was about 30,000 US dollars.

Palestine came under Ottoman rule in 1516, after the Battle of Marj Dabiq, in which the Ottomans defeated the Mamluks.

The Ottoman rule of Palestine ended in 1917, when Britain occupied it, following the defeat of the Ottoman army, during the First World War.