Erodgan, not Israel's biggest fan
Photo: AP
Pew poll: Israel most hated country in Turkey
86% of responders have an unfavorable opinion of Israel, while only 2% view it positively; Turks also harbor a strong dislike to terror organizations - 80% dislike Hamas, 85% dislike Hezbollah.
Israel is the country most hated by Turkish citizens, a Pew Research Center poll released last week found.
Responders were asked whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of a selection of states (US, China, Brazil, Russia, Iran, Israel) and entities (such as the European Union and Nation).
Israel was found the most disliked country of the offered options, with 86 percent of responders saying they have an unfavorable opinion of Israel and only 2 percent seeing Israel in a positive light.
There is of course no reason to be surprised of the negative view Turks have of Israel. A diplomatic rift was opened between the two countries during the 2008-9 Operation Cast Lead. At the height of the still-ongoing conflict was the Israeli commando raid of the Turkish "Mavi Marmara" ship that was attempting to break the blockade on Gaza. The incident left 10 Turkish citizens dead.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan often attacks Israel, publicly accusing it of "genocide" of the Palestinians.
Still, it's interesting to learn just how much the Turkish public dislikes Israel.
Other than having a favorable opinion of their own country (78 percent, according to a 2012 poll), the Turks don't think highly of any of the countries or entities asked about.
The Turks have a lot opinion of the European Union (66 percent unfavorable opinion, 25 percent favorable), China (68 percent negative views, 21 percent positive), the United States (73 percent negative views and 19 percent positive), Russia (73 percent negative, 16 positive), Brazil (65 percent negative, 20 percent positive) and Iran (75 percent negative, 14 percent positive).
Saudi Arabia, however, another Sunni state, is the most liked of the countries asked about, but even then, only 26 percent of Turks have a favorable opinion of it, while 53 percent have an unfavorable opinion of it).
The Turks also have a very negative view of terror organizations, including al-Qaeda (85 percent negative), Hezbollah (85 percent) and Hamas (80 percent).
