TURQUIE PERSPECTIVE

The analysis of the Daily Sabah article reveals a characteristic approach of pro-government Turkish media in their treatment of issues related to Israel and European antisemitism. The Turkish media adopts a factual but subtly critical tone, reporting without explicit condemnation the maintenance of the Belgian carnival despite Israel's accusations of antisemitism. This apparent neutrality actually masks a geopolitical positioning where Turkey positions itself as an observer of a Europe confronted with its own contradictions between freedom of expression and the fight against antisemitism.

The emphasis placed by Daily Sabah on the qualification 'hateful' used by the Israeli minister reveals a particular narrative strategy. By reporting Israeli criticisms without endorsing them, the Turkish media implicitly exploits tensions between Israel and Europe, reflecting the deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations since October 2023. This coverage aligns with Ankara's diplomatic line which seeks to criticize Israel indirectly while avoiding taking a direct position on European antisemitism.

The most revealing silence concerns the complete absence of contextualization regarding Turkish-Belgian relations or Turkey's official position on antisemitism in Europe. This omission suggests a desire to maintain a cautious diplomatic distance from European partners while exploiting divisions within the West. The narrative framing presents Israel as an isolated actor facing a Europe that maintains its traditions, subtly reinforcing the Turkish narrative of an increasingly internationally isolated Israel.

This approach reveals the structural biases of Turkish media aligned with Erdoğan's foreign policy: using Western contradictions to relativize criticisms of human rights in Turkey, while exploiting Israel's growing isolation to reinforce Turkey's positioning as a defender of the Palestinian cause in the Muslim world. This coverage thus serves Turkish geopolitical interests by presenting the West as divided and hypocritical about its own values.