A new study based on a systematic analysis of approximately 15,000 opinion columns in Turkish media presents a picture of deep hostility toward Israel.
Against the backdrop of the debate surrounding Turkey’s role in any future arrangement in the Gaza Strip, a new study by JPPI (the Jewish People Policy Institute), based on a systematic analysis of approximately 15,000 opinion columns in Turkish media identified with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, presents a picture of deep hostility toward Israel, the normalization of Hamas, and widespread antisemitic discourse, especially following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Using advanced artificial intelligence tools, JPPI analysts examined opinion columns published in Turkey’s two major newspapers, Sabah and Hürriyet, both of which are now considered part of the core pro-government media establishmentin Ankara.
Sabah, a large and popular daily newspaper in Turkey, is known for its support of the government and is often regarded as a “mouthpiece” for Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party. In any case, it is considered one of the most influential newspapers in the country.
Hürriyet (Turkish for “Freedom”) is the most widely circulated newspaper in Turkey. In 2018 it was sold to a conglomerate close to Erdoğan and shifted its editorial line from liberal-secular to one that openly supports the government and President Erdoğan.
The study’s findings raise serious questions about Turkey’s role as a regional “mediator” and as a potential partner in international initiatives related to the “day after” in the Gaza Strip. Media aligned with the Ankara government normalize terrorism, undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and recycle classic antisemitic stereotypes. Under President Erdoğan, the anti-Israel rhetoric media outlets supporting him and his party has intensified, with an emphasis on support for Hamas and Palestinian narratives.
Antisemitism
Approximately 40% of opinion columns mentioning Jews or Judaism were classified as containing antisemitic characteristics, according to the internationally accepted IHRA (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance). Among other things, antisemitic motifs identified included: attributions of global power to “Jewish capital,” comparisons between Zionism and Nazism, portrayals of Jews as a group enjoying immunity from criticism, denigrations of the Holocaust narrative, and conspiratorial insinuations. An example from Hürriyet: an article published about two weeks after October 7 claimed that global Jewish capital and Jewish control of the media and international institutions succeeded in bringing the United States and Europe “to their knees” in order to allow Israel to carry out genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Article here.
Attitudes Toward October 7
The attitude toward the events of October 7 is mostly neutral in both newspapers; however, Hürriyet is somewhat more critical. Even so, there is almost no unequivocal condemnation of the massacre, and in most columns, there is no direct mention of the deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. Sabah published more articles with a positive attitude than Hürriyet.
For example, in Sabah, one day after the October 7 massacre (October 8, 2023), admiration was expressed for the “resistance fighters” of a people whose hands and feet are bound under siege, who, while hungry and thirsty, managed to carry out a “mythic” attack that would become a turning point in the struggle. Israel is referred to as the “Zionist occupying regime” and a “genocidal regime,” and the massacre is referred to by Hamas’s designation, “Al-Aqsa Flood.” Article here.
In Hürriyet, an article presents a “principled” statement by President Erdoğan, portrayed as a “global leader,” in which he condemns Hamas’s harm to civilians (the article was written on October 12, 2023), but in the same breath warns that the limits of patience and restraint are about to be reached in light of the massacre Israel is committing in Gaza. Article here.
In another Sabah article, it is claimed that Israel’s and the West’s massacre in Gaza surpasses even the actions of Hitler. Article here.
Elsewhere, it is claimed that Israel’s advantage over Nazi Germany is that, unlike Hitler, Netanyahu can massacre Palestinians while presenting himself as a victim. Article here.
About the Study
The study was conducted through the collection and computerized analysis of thousands of opinion columns, systematically translated from the original language, and advanced content analysis using artificial intelligence tools with human analytical oversight. It is one of the first comprehensive studies to examine – both quantitatively and qualitatively – Turkish media discourse regarding Israel, Jews, Hamas, and the events of October 7. The study was conducted by researchers at JPPI’s Diane and Guilford Glazer Information and Consulting Center: Shlomi Bereznick, Eli Kannai, and Yaakov Katz.
Prof. Yedidia Stern, President of JPPI: “The findings of this study speak for themselves, and they are deeply troubling. At the same time, it is clear that the relationship with Turkey is broader and also based on economic interests in energy and trade. At the same time, some Turkish media outlets are not so closely aligned with Erdoğan’s regime. Israeli decision-makers must look at reality soberly and as it is, and not ignore these facts. We must not normalize incitement and antisemitism anywhere in the world – certainly not when it comes from countries with which Israel maintains diplomatic relations.”