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In his article published in The Times of Israel on November 3 – entitled: “Fakhr al-Din Altoun: Erdogan continues to play a global role in supporting Hamas” – the former diplomat, Ronen Sahar, concluded the article by saying:
“It is impossible to overthrow Erdogan, but Fahrettin Altun and his team must be stopped immediately!”
Altun heads the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department, supervises the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and the Anadolu News Agency, and is seen as responsible for building Turkey’s “official” media orientation toward major crises, as is the case with the war crisis in Gaza.
Ronen says: Turkey adopted a strategy in dealing with Israel during this crisis that differs from previous crises, as it maintained diplomatic relations (only withdrew its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations), and did not resort to imposing any sanctions.
But – and Ronen is still talking – she resorted to “waging a relentless local and international smear campaign against Israel through traditional media and social networking sites,” accusing Alton of being behind these coordinated campaigns, as he describes him as one of the most important people close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish media strategy in confronting aggression
In the first hours of the operation that broke out on October 7, opposition Turkish journalists – who enjoy huge followings on social media – promoted the Israeli narrative, especially with regard to the killing of children and the rape of women, before the reins were regained again – especially with the escalation of the aggression – where… The official media played an influential role, through the Turkish radio and television network TRT, and the Anadolu Agency, as they succeeded in transmitting the facts of the aggression, in the languages: Turkish, Arabic, and English, in addition to the digital platforms speaking German, French, Russian, and Sahelian Africa.
By monitoring and following up on what is broadcast by the “TRT Khabar” channel – which is the first news channel in the Turkish television network, and enjoys high viewership rates within Turkey – there was a clear increase in the rate of broadcasting Palestinian content, whether on its screen or on its accounts on social networking sites, through what The channel produces various materials and news stories. It also broadcasts documented Arabic content translated into Turkish, whether related to the video messages of the resistance, primarily the Al-Qassam Brigades, and the statements of its spokesman, Abu Ubaida, or the humanitarian content that highlights the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the first place. First, then the West Bank.
The Turkish media strategy adopted a number of pillars, the most important of which are:
- Refuse to label Hamas as “terrorism”, as it is a legitimate resistance movement.
- Continuous emphasis on the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation until their independent state is established with East Jerusalem as its capital. a
- Condemning the Israeli aggression, and not adopting any media discourse to justify the massacres it carries out. Emphasizing the historical rights of Muslims in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and highlighting the violations it is subjected to.
Media support for the Palestinian people was not limited to the official media only, but extended to independent news channels that enjoy a strong presence among the Turkish people, such as: “CNN Turk” and “Haberturk”, as they were quick to send their best correspondents to Occupied Jerusalem, and the area surrounding Gaza, also allocated open news periods to cover the war.
“Center for Combating Disinformation” and refuting Israeli lies
The center was established in August 2022, and is under the leadership of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department. The purpose of its establishment was to refute fake news that affects Turkish national security.
Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza until now, the Center has played an important role in refuting Israeli lies, which prompted Ronen, in his aforementioned article, to accuse the Center, under Alton’s leadership, of “conducting psychological operations against Israel on social media sites.”
By following the center’s account on the “X” platform, which broadcasts its content in both Turkish and English, the effort it makes to refute Zionist lies becomes clear, the most prominent of which are:
Refuting Israeli allegations regarding the Palestinian resistance beheading forty Israeli children. Responding to the rumor that Turkey supports Israel with vegetables and fruits following its aggression against Gaza. Refuting the lie that Türkiye asked Hamas leaders to leave its territory. Refuting the Israeli story regarding the bombing of the Baptist Hospital, and proving that the occupation army planes were responsible for the bombing. As for the latest thing that the Center refuted at the time of writing these lines, it was a response to Ofir Gendelman, the spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, who claimed that the Palestinians are deceiving world public opinion through manufactured scenes of death and destruction, but the Center refuted those allegations, stressing that the scenes broadcast by Gendelman were taken. From the movie “The Truth” by Lebanese director Mahmoud Ramzi, which he prepared to shed light on what is happening in Palestine!!
In addition to other misleading news that was dealt with, the center confirms that 74% of the verified “X” platform accounts published misleading news about the war, and that dozens of false news were refuted and corrected. He also pointed out that hundreds of different media outlets relied on what the Center published to refute the Israeli lies.
Hence, these supportive Turkish media policies succeeded in overcoming political and diplomatic measures – which many have not liked so far – by a great distance.
It was also of great importance, especially for the Turkish interior, to prevent the passage of Israeli narratives, especially from those who have influence in shaping public opinion, or through Western Turkish-speaking media, such as: “BBC” or “Voice of Germany” radio station “Deutsche”. “His elephant.”
