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This op-ed was written by August Immel, a contributing author to the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) by CAM. Immel is a PhD student studying English, and his dissertation topic focuses on the proliferation of antisemitic rhetoric and ideas.
Following failed hostage release negotiations in the first weeks of November, reports suggested that Qatar would no longer mediate ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. As a result, Hamas leaders departed Qatar’s capital of Doha in a seemingly noteworthy diminution of support for the terrorist organization by the Gulf emirate.
However, Hamas was likely not orphaned for long as it was reportedly offered diplomatic sanctuary in Turkey. If true, such patronage of a radical and extremist organization is not a new trend for this NATO country. For more than twelve years, Hamas has operated official offices in Istanbul. Furthermore, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regularly propagates antisemitism in the form of anti-Israel political rhetoric.
Only seven months after the horrors of October 7, 2023, Erdoğan urged Muslims worldwide to battle the Jewish state and slurred Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “vampire who feeds on blood.” This past July, Erdoğan claimed in comments to Newsweek magazine that Palestinian terrorists in Gaza were “simply defending their homes, streets, and homeland.”
These statements reflect the alarming trend of political leaders worldwide demonizing Israel and its leaders, supporting terrorists, and sanctioning antisemitism. For example, in the wake of the the October 16th killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and mastermind of the October 7th massacre, heads of state and leaders of International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) disturbingly celebrated a man whose hands were indelibly stained with the blood of countless innocent civilians.
Sickeningly, three days after Sinwar’s death, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim issued a formal statement condemning Israel’s military actions that eliminated him. Ibrahim mourned Sinwar as a “warrior and defender of the Palestinian people,” effectively endorsing the very terrorism that defined Sinwar’s life. Similarly, Turkish President Erdoğan expressed his sadness over Sinwar’s passing, praising his leadership of Hamas.
Other shocking examples of antisemitic hatred of Israel from world leaders abound. In October 2023, Erdogan stated Turkey’s official position that “Hamas is not a terrorist organization; it is a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people.” Following Erdoğan’s remarks, demonstrators marched in Istanbul in support of Sinwar and Hamas — a stark reminder of how political vitriol can ignite public sentiment. Erdoğan also offered medical support for Hamas fighters inside Turkish medical facilities.
The United Nations (UN) has not been immune to this pattern either. In an October 2023 address to the Security Council, Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the October 7th attacks but quickly added that these acts did not occur “in a vacuum,” insinuating that Hamas’s actions had a justifiable context.
This troubling rhetoric has manifested in alarming statistics. Between 2015 and 2022, the UN General Assembly passed more resolutions against Israel than all other nations combined — 140 against Israel compared to just 68 for every other member state collectively. Such disproportionate scrutiny raises questions about bias and the potential endorsement of antisemitic ideologies.
Nearly 2,400 years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato warned that perverting rhetoric into a weapon could lead to ethical decay and societal division. Today’s political landscape proves his premonition correct as leaders use inflammatory rhetoric that not only perpetuates division but also emboldens hatred against Israel and the Jewish people.
Extolling figures such as Sinwar or hosting terrorist leaders is tantamount to complicity in efforts to annihilate Israel and its Jewish population. Hamas has long used violence as a means to further its agenda, with the October 7th massacre serving as a grotesque advertisement for its cause. Political leaders who justify or celebrate such actions become complicit in a narrative that seeks not only to vilify Israel but also to erase and condemn the Jewish identity.
We must unite to counter this insidious hatred that threatens not only Jewish communities but also the very fabric of diverse societies across the globe.
