For Erdogan, arrest of Israeli soccer player makes good politics
Jerusalem PostJan 15
Israeli Soccer Player Leaves Turkey After Detention for 'Inciting Hatred'
Image copyright: Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
The Facts
Sagiv Jehezkel, an Israeli soccer player who currently plays for the Turkish team Antalyaspor, has left Turkey after being detained for allegedly "inciting the public to hatred and hostility" after displaying a message on his armband that said, "100 Days 7.10" alongside a Star of David, apparently referencing the hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack.
Jehezkel has denied the accusations, and Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation had been opened into Sunday's incident.
The Spin
Narrative A
Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has always campaigned on antisemitism to gain popularity. If the Turkish head of state only cared about incitement of hatred, he wouldn't have arrested Jehezkel, whose bandage was about freeing hostages, not supporting the war. Erdoğan's government is fueled by public hatred of Israel — something he believes will win local elections and help him rise to the top.
Narrative B
This incident has been blown way out of proportion. Jehezkel was not arrested for antisemitic reasons but rather due to suspected incitement of hatred. While some may see his message as positive, many others in Turkey see it as a defense of Israel's massacre of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Police briefly detained him for questioning before the soccer player left the country on his own accord. Those are the facts, and nothing more.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 35.3K Palestinian civilian deaths in the Israel-Gaza conflict before July 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.