How Türkiye is countering Israel’s disinformation campaign

By Tuncay Şahin

Türkiye is working hard to counter the wrong narrative that Israel is spinning about the Palestinians and its devastating war in Gaza, says Fahrettin Altun, the Communications Director.

The Centre for Countering Disinformation had identified over 250 instances of Israeli disinformation and published its findings in six languages for the international audience, he said on Wednesday at an event titled The Lies of Israel Platform Launch and Panel

“At the Munich Security Conference, Israeli President Isaac Herzog held up a book, saying, ‘This is a book titled The End of the Jews, found by our soldiers in Gaza. This book was authored by senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar.’ However, this book was published in 1990 by an Egyptian writer and has no connection to Hamas or Palestine.”

In another instance, Altun pointed out that Israel claimed Hamas was responsible for the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza's Zeitoun district.

“This claim, too, was disinformation,” he explained. “Israel’s systematic attacks on Gaza hospitals have since made it clear that it is acting without regard to any ethical standards or norms.”

Biased western media

Altun said that one of the driving forces behind Türkiye’s efforts to expose Israeli actions through platforms like The Lies of Israel is the Western media's double standards.

He noted that from the very beginning of the war, Israel had received extensive military and political support, coupled with enthusiastic backing from global media.

Recently, Altun pointed out, a digital platform even banned 19 films related to Palestine, showcasing not only a stark dismissal of freedom of expression but also open support for one of history's most “brutal genocides”.

This hypocrisy, according to Altun, is a clear example of how human dignity is often sacrificed for political and economic gain, especially to appease Zionist lobbying groups.

He described how international outlets downplay Israel's violence while presenting Palestinian self-defence efforts as hostile acts to the global audience.

‘Killed’ or ‘died’

A language disparity in news reporting further reveals these biases, as incidents involving Israelis are described as “killed,” whereas similar cases involving Palestinians are softened to “died”, he said.

Altun pointed to a particular example where an internationally respected media outlet revised a headline three times in response to Israeli interests.

Initially titled “Israeli attack kills hundreds at hospital,” the headline was modified by removing “Israeli” and then further softened by changing “attack” to “explosion.”

The final version, “At least 500 killed in hospital explosion in Gaza,” framed the tragedy as a spontaneous event, concealing any indication of the true perpetrator, he said.

Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications, Altun said, worked to tell the world about this distortion of facts.

‘The Lies of Israel’

One of the focal points of Türkiye's efforts is the newly launched platform, The Lies of Israel, which aims to counter the disinformation disseminated by Israel and its supporters.

The initiative, launched by Türkiye's Communications Directorate, seeks to document and expose false narratives propagated by Israeli media and to provide factual evidence in multiple languages.

“Our platform serves as a testament to Türkiye's loyalty to truth and justice, standing firmly against the misleading information and propaganda surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said Altun.

He described The Lies of Israel as an important international resource that aims to fill a significant gap in the global media landscape.

The platform actively identifies and counters Israeli disinformation, disseminating verified content about the conflict to international audiences.