Did the West write Erdogan off for Israel’s sake?
The Western media’s anti-Erdogan stance is fueled by Erdogan’s own partisan and ideological rhetoric.
![TURKEY-ERDOGAN/ABBAS Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) address the media at the Presidential Palace in Ankara January 12, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4L5C4](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2015/01/RTR4L5C4.jpg/RTR4L5C4.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=ay5qMZQX)
In remarks to journalists last week, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu acknowledged that Turkey’s image in the Western media had turned negative, but argued this was all a plot. “There is an international media network in the world. We are doing our best, but this network has made a decision to finish off Turkey’s success story and demonize President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. That’s their objective. They have moved against Turkey as if a button was pressed after 2010, that is, after the 'one-minute' incident in Davos.”
In other words, Davutoglu basically suggested that pro-Israeli domains, infuriated with “New Turkey” for its brave defense of the downtrodden Palestinian people, were behind Western criticism of Erdogan.