Against the backdrop of the international discussion regarding Turkey’s role as a potential mediator for a future arrangement in the Gaza Strip, a new study published by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) presents a worrying picture of hostility toward Israel, normalization of Hamas, and antisemitic discourse in pro-government Turkish media.
The study is based on a systematic analysis of approximately 15,000 opinion columns published since the October 7 attack in the major newspapers Sabah and Hürriyet, which are associated with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration.
Sabah is considered a primary mouthpiece of the ruling party, while Hürriyet, which was previously a liberal newspaper, underwent a structural shift after being sold to a corporation close to the government.
The study’s findings raise pointed questions about Turkey’s status as a legitimate partner in international initiatives concerning the future of Gaza.
According to the study, 40% of the articles referencing Jews were classified as antisemitic under The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition. Among other things, they included references to “Jewish power," comparisons of Zionism to Nazism, trivialization of the Holocaust, and conspiratorial insinuations.
The coverage of Israel in these outlets is consistently hostile: Israel is described as a “Zionist occupying regime," and some publications compare the State of Israel to Nazi Germany. Articles expressing appreciation for Israel are extremely rare.
Regarding Hamas, 49% of the articles presented a positive view of the organization, and another 40% were neutral. Hamas is portrayed as a “resistance movement," and its leaders as “martyrs," sometimes obscuring the crimes of the October 7 massacre.
Coverage of the October 7 attack itself almost entirely lacks explicit condemnation. In Sabah, more columns expressed a positive view of the attack, while in Hürriyet there were slightly more critical expressions-but even there, no clear and direct condemnation appeared.
JPPI President Prof. Yedidya Stern said in response to the findings: “The results speak for themselves, and they are worrying. At the same time, it is clear that our relationship with Turkey is broader, also based on economic interests in energy and trade, and there is media in Turkey that is not necessarily aligned with Erdoğan’s regime. Decision-makers in Israel need to look at reality soberly, and see things as they are, without ignoring them. We must not normalize incitement or antisemitism anywhere in the world, especially in countries with which we maintain diplomatic relations."