Turkish media most hostile to Israel, UAE least negative in Mideast, study finds

Study of major Middle Eastern news outlets finds that Turkish reporting is the most hostile toward Israel, while outlets from the United Arab Emirates were the least likely to promote hostile content.

By World Israel News Staff

A new study by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) has found that Turkish newspapers publish the most negative coverage of Israel among major English-language media outlets in the Middle East, while newspapers in the United Arab Emirates present the most balanced coverage of the Jewish state.

The study examined coverage of Israel in leading English-language newspapers in Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, focusing particularly on publications associated with their respective governments.

Researchers analyzed 1,054 opinion columns and conducted a daily examination of newspaper homepages and headlines during the period following the outbreak of the war with Iran on February 28, 2026.

The outlets examined included The National and Gulf News in the UAE, Asharq Al-Awsat and Saudi Gazette in Saudi Arabia, Ahram in Egypt and Daily Sabah in Turkey.

According to the findings, 72% of opinion columns concerning Israel in the Turkish newspaper were negative, the highest proportion among the countries examined. Egypt followed with 65%, while Saudi Arabia recorded 49%.

The UAE had the lowest proportion of negative opinion columns, at 46%, while 53% were classified as neutral.

Researchers also examined how prominently Israel appeared in news headlines and on newspaper homepages, developing an index to measure both the frequency and visibility of coverage.

Turkey again ranked first, with Israel receiving daily coverage that was both more prominent and more negative than in the other countries studied.

The UAE ranked second in the prominence of coverage, followed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Researchers suggested that the relatively high volume of Israeli-related reporting in Emirati newspapers reflected developments surrounding the war with Iran.

An analysis of the tone of news coverage, separate from opinion columns, produced similar results, with Turkish outlets displaying the most negative attitude toward Israel and Emirati publications the least negative.

The study also identified several positive opinion columns about Israel in the Saudi press, which researchers described as an unusual finding.

Some of the articles highlighted Israeli achievements in technology, scientific research and academia, including references to Israeli research institutions and Nobel Prize winners. Another portrayed Israel positively as a geopolitical force helping to contain Iran.

However, researchers emphasized that favorable commentary remained relatively rare in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The study also identified examples of commentary that went beyond criticism of Israeli government policies and questioned Israel’s legitimacy or employed explicitly antisemitic themes.

In Asharq Al-Awsat, one article referred to Israel’s alleged “Talmudic ambitions” to expand and conquer Arab territories, including parts of Syria and Lebanon.

An article in Egypt’s Ahram claimed that the degradation of non-Jews was part of Zionist ideology, portraying Zionism as dividing humanity between the “chosen people” and the “goyim,” whom it supposedly regards as inferior.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Daily Sabah published commentary calling for Israel and Zionism to be stopped from “exploiting faith and religion” to displace entire communities from their land. The article described the religious arguments underlying Israel’s claims as “fabricated legends.”

Researchers noted that such material appeared in English-language publications, despite their potential readership among Western audiences.