The conservative Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, known for its pro-Palestinian views and hardline support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, published a Jerusalem travel guide Wednesday that carried strong anti-Israel sentiment.
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The paper – considered a mouthpiece for the Erdogan government – called for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to "not only perform the commandment but to support its Muslim residents whose lives are becoming increasingly difficult every day under the occupation."
The paper called for a complete boycott of Jewish-owned businesses in the capital, encouraging travelers to only "stay at a Muslim-owned hotel and shop at Muslim-owned businesses."
In what might sound like incitement to terror, it also encouraged future pilgrims to "provide assistance to the relatives of martyrs and prisoners," claiming "all this is far more important than any slogan and speech." It further said that "this should be done quietly, thoroughly, without informing anyone. These are types of activities that anyone can take do, far from the politics of countries and the damned balance of the international system."
Yeni Sakaf has long denied Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and even described the capital as belonging to "us, to the Muslims." It has also referred to Turkish anti-Israel organizations operating from Jerusalem, such as Mirasimiz.
Last February, Erdogan changed the name of his country's Directorate of Religious Affairs, which is a government organ, to the "Directorate of Jerusalem and Umrah Affairs" in a bid to strengthen Turkey's ties to Jerusalem.
The directorate is of considerable importance to Muslims in Turkey. Any Turk interested in observing the Hajj – the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia – must register a request through this authority.
According to Yeni Safak, the tourist guidebook also elaborates about the history of Jerusalem and its tourist sites. The guidebook suggests visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mount, followed by Hebron and Jaffa – without any mention of Tel Aviv.
In terms of other recommended sites in Jerusalem, the guidebook notes the Church of the Sepulchre and King David's Tomb. It also recommends visiting Nebi Musa in Judea and Samaria (which Muslims believe to be the tomb of Moses), and the clock tower in Jaffa, which was built by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
The Turkish guidebook, meanwhile, failed to note any of these sites' affiliation with Israel.
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