Study reveals Turkish media embraces antisemitism while legitimizing Hamas

Analysis of pro-regime media in Turkey shows major outlets regularly embracing antisemitic tropes and stereotypes while working to legitimize the Hamas terror organization.

By World Israel News Staff

Turkish media outlets, particularly those aligned with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, regularly engage in antisemitism while working to legitimize the radical Islamist terror group Hamas, a new study shows.

On Monday, the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) published a study analyzing mainstream Turkish media outlets.

The researchers conducted a systematic analysis of approximately 15,000 opinion columns in Turkish media considered to be aligned with President Erdoğan.

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 establishment in Ankara.

The results of the study highlight the fact that pro-regime outlets in Turkey demonstrate not only a deep hostility toward Israel, but also support for Hamas and largely embrace antisemitic tropes, especially following the October 7 Hamas invasion of Israel.

Sabah, a large and popular daily newspaper in Turkey, is widely regarded as a mouthpiece for Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party.

Hürriyet 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.

Of the roughly 15,000 opinion pieces assessed, 40% of the articles that mentioned Jews or Judaism engaged in antisemitism, according to the internationally accepted IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition.

Commonly used antisemitic motifs included the use of the canard of “Jewish capital” controlling the world, comparisons between Zionism and Nazism, portrayals of Jews as a group enjoying immunity from criticism, denigrations of the Holocaust narrative, and conspiratorial insinuations.

An article published in Hürriyet about two weeks after October 7, 2023, 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.

One piece published in Sabah criticized the “Holocaust narrative,” claiming that anyone who dares to question it is labeled an extremist and will “end up in prison.”

In another Sabah article, there is a plea to Allah to destroy “the infidels who were given the Book.”

A 2024 piece published in Sabah claimed that “Zionism and Nazism serve the same goal.”

The two outlets frequently accuse Israel of genocide, sometimes comparing the Jewish state to Nazi Germany.

Rarely did either paper portray Hamas in a critical light, with 49% of columns displaying a positive attitude toward Hamas, and another 40% that were neutral.

Some pieces referred to Israeli hostages held by Hamas as “prisoners,” and claimed they were treated “kindly” while in captivity, denying the human rights abuses that took place.

Both papers were largely neutral toward the massacre of Israelis committed on October 7, 2023, and in some cases, articles expressed admiration for the “resistance fighters” who carried out the atrocities.

“The findings of this study speak for themselves, and they are deeply troubling,” said JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern.

“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.”