Ayrılık: Aşkta ve Savaşta Filistin (literately Separation: Palestine at Love and War), known in English as Farewell,[1] is a Turkish prime time TV series aired on state broadcaster TRT. The series started on 13 October 2009. The concept consultant of the series is columnist Hakan Albayrak in daily Yeni Şafak who had also been on the board of MV Mavi Marmara during the Gaza flotilla raid,[2] while its script consultant is the trade union leader Yaşar Seyman who is a columnist of the left-wing daily BirGün.[3][4]
Ayrılık is described as depicting IDF soldiers being overjoyed by murdering Arab civilians[5] and killing newborn children in cold blood, snatching babies.[6] It sparked angry protests from politicians and the media in Israel. Simon Wiesenthal Center sent a notice on the series to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[7] Due to growing concerns, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman summoned the Turkish ambassador and complained about the antisemitic content of Ayrılık.[8][9] Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu concluded that the Turkish government is not liable for the series' content.[10]
Dubai-based MBC 1 began airing the series in March 2010 and Dubai TV had also purchased it.[6] After the series' airing on MBC 1, a female Palestinian prisoner sent an appeal to Palestinian Prisoners' Society on behalf of other female detainees, demanding from the channel to stop broadcasting Ayrılık she blamed for depicting a Palestinian female prisoner get raped under detention and "This is humiliating to the entire Palestinian people and only serves the occupation" she added.[11][12]