Hatay During the National Struggle

The Hatay region, which many nations wanted to own because of its wealth and strategic importance, has been the scene of many battles throughout history and during World War I, the struggle for the region, which fell into the hands of the French as part of the Anglo-French struggle for supremacy in the Middle East, continued in full force even in the last stages of the war, when it seemed to lose steam. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who was commander of the 7th Army during the battles fought here, was the one who, with his successful defense at Haritan, north of Aleppo, on October 26, 1918, halted the advance of the Allied forces, consisting of British and Arab troops, who were trying to advance into the heart of Anatolia. This was the last successful battle of World War I for the Ottoman Empire, giving a final shape to its southern borders, to be later incorporated into the territories determined by the National Pact. Despite Mustafa Kemal Pasha's efforts, Hatay was occupied by the Entente States after the Group Command of the Blitz Armies was disbanded and left the region. However, the battle for Hatay did not stop and continued at the local level, led under the guidance of Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the resistance of the people in the region. The gangs formed by the locals and the Associations for the Defense of National Rights, established in Antakya and Reyhaniye, resisted the French occupation and the Armenians who were under their patronage. Although Hatay had to be excluded from Turkish territory with the Ankara Treaty of October 20, 1921, the struggle there did not stop through the political and cultural struggle for the annexation of Hatay to Türkiye, and was continued during the period of the Turkish National Struggle, with means such as the "Antakya-Iskenderun Homeland Society" and the "Altınöz Newspaper", accompanied by the political authorities and forces influential in Hatay, and the hope of the people of the region for liberation was kept alive.

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