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114 Ilkim Buke-Okyar anomalies symbolized grotesque and dehumanized subjects and were often used to construct opposing stereotypes. Ihe shape of the monster was a combination of characteristics attributed to create negative images of the persona. In this cartoon, the monstrous image of the “Arab Revolt” reflects the notions of dehumanization and the sense of the psychological enemy. It also shows ethnic classification, or even generalization of Arabs, as a constant threat to the former Ottomans and, in this case, to the mandatory governments, mainly Britain and France. Cartoons published subsequently in magazines depicted the Arab Revolt in Palestine in the context of the Arab struggle against the Zionists. The scene of a confrontation with Zionism, Palestine became the key issue between the Great Powers and the Arabs during the post-war years. Aiming to change the British policies in Palestine and prevent its partition between Arabs and Jews, the Arab Revolt took place between 1936 and 1939, with two major uprisings in 1936 and 1937 (Khoury 1985: 327-328).'! Syria extensively supported the Palestinian cause when the rebels in Palestine revolted for two years from 1936 to 1938. The situation was reflected as a far-off event in the Turkish media. On May 2, 1936, Akbaba commented on a newspaper item regarding the Arabs of Haifa, who set over a thousand Jewish homes on fire. The cartoon is titled From the Newspapers: The Arabs Are Killing the Jews in Palestine! The subtext hints at the Jewish fondness for money, with the Jewish man trying to sell matches to the Arab, saying: “Haci sir, since youre burning down Jewish villages, why don't you buy the matches from us!””? The Arab’s typical behavioural attribute of barbarism is emphasized in the cartoon, in which he looks like an assassin as opposed to the civil but money-mad Jewish character, both of them ethnically portrayed (Fig. 10). Interestingly, in this cartoon, the message conveyed is not the contrast but instead the similarity in their physiognomy. The linkage between the Jewish money-grubber stereotype and the disloyal Arab runs through the text. The Palestinian Arab’s bony facial structure, not yet merged into a hybrid form, is combined with a hooknose and thick lips, which are common facial stereotypes for Jews as well. Syria was the common denominator in Turkey’s dispute with France over Alexandretta and the Palestinian Arab Revolt. When France's mandatory government promised full independence to Syria including the Alexandretta province in 1936, Turkey decided to claim the province for its own, arguing that it was part of the National Pact of 1920. Turkey’s claim over the Alexandretta region of northeastern Syria continued to be asserted in the League of Nations while Turkey engaged in considerable media propaganda from 1936 to 1937. Syria, on the other hand, along with Lebanon, which was under French mandatory rule, provided popular " Arabs, in general, and Palestinians, in particular, were uncomfortable with the Zionist movement, which was growing rapidly with the aim of establishing a Jewish national home and an independent state; the Arabs felt left behind and in danger of losing their homeland. 2 “Filistin Halki Dehset icinde: Hayfa Arapları 1000 kadar yahudi evini atese verdi” (‘Palestinians Are in Terror: Arabs of Haifa Set About 1000 Jewish Homes to Fire’), Zan Gazetesi, April 23, 1936.
