Like a bold uncle, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is often the one person at a gathering to deliver the unvarnished truth, even when it hints at a civilisational clash.
“I speak freely because we do not owe Israel anything,” he said at a Friday press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, referencing his host country’s Second World War guilt in an effort to highlight western hypocrisy on liberty and free speech. “We did not go through the Holocaust, so we are not in such a situation.”
Few would describe Turkey as a paragon of free expression. In fact, in its annual report early this month, the European Commission criticised Turkey’s increasing disregard for human rights and restrictions on free speech.
Even so, Mr Erdogan had a point. Nowhere has the Middle East’s latest war stirred up more historical sensitivities than Germany, which severely curbs criticism of Israel and Jewish people as part of its atonement for historic Nazi atrocities.
While leaders in Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Belgium and beyond have sharply criticised Israel’s assault on Gaza in recent days, with some labelling it genocide, Germany has moved to muzzle such views. Hamburg issued a decree banning pro-Palestinian protests.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier essentially warned Germans of Arab descent not to support Palestinians, advising them to “take a clear stand against terror”. Berlin schools barred students from wearing the keffiyeh or Palestinian flag and police in the capital blocked two dozen Gaza solidarity protests, including an event to mourn Palestinian children.
Such policies are keenly felt by Turkish officials, as many of those being silenced in Germany are their compatriots. Germany is home to more than three million people of Turkish origin, the country’s largest diaspora community. But it’s not just Turks and other Muslims that view Germany’s stance as problematic.
More than 100 Jewish intellectuals signed a letter condemning Berlin’s policy. Deborah Feldman, a bestselling author raised by Holocaust survivors who lives in Berlin, argued that German measures aim “to criminalise the public expression of Palestinian identity”.
Ironically, more than eight in 10 anti-Semitic attacks in Germany (84 per cent) are committed not by Muslims but by the far right, according to a parliamentary report. Germany’s neo-Nazi groups and anti-immigrant parties such as AfD are kept in check mainly thanks to Turkey’s willingness to keep millions of refugees from entering the EU.
Still, just as the Turkish government’s tacit acceptance of ultra-nationalists leads to the demonisation of minority groups in Turkey, Germany’s blind eye towards domestic xenophobes makes life all the more difficult for its immigrant communities.
Such policies are keenly felt by Turkish officials, as many of those being silenced in Germany are their compatriots
Nearly four in 10 German Muslims have experienced discrimination from German authorities, according to the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research. German footballer Mesut Ozil, the child of Turkish immigrants who played a key role in Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning squad, highlighted the issue when he quit the national team in 2018: “I’m a German when we win, but an immigrant when we lose.”
Like Ozil, most Germans of Turkish origin support Mr Erdogan and his governing Justice and Development Party (AKP). This may be the driving force behind German parliament taking up a proposal last week to bar dual passport-holding German Turks from voting in Turkish elections. It’s not clear how this might be enforced short of confiscating Turkish passports, but during Turkey’s May elections, German officials faced Turkish criticism for their unwillingness to open more voting booths, resulting in hours-long wait times.
Another point of divergence is terrorism and the Middle East. Early this month, Germany banned all activities linked to Hamas, labelled a terrorist group by the EU, US and Israel. Turkey, on the other hand, has hosted Hamas leaders and activities for years and reportedly enabled investments that helped the group significantly increase its funding.
Yet both sides are likely to tread lightly due to growing economic ties. German-Turkish trade hit a record high of nearly €52 billion ($56.78 billion) last year, and Germany is Turkey’s top export market, at nearly €25 billion. Only Russia and China send more goods to Turkey than Germany.
Ankara is probably in the tougher position, with local elections looming in March, the Turkish lira continuing to lose value and major defence concerns. Turkish officials last week expressed interest in buying 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which Germany helps build.
Most observers see Mr Scholz as unlikely to approve such a deal, which would leave Turkey again hoping for a thumbs-up on US-made F-16s. It may be contingent on Ankara approving Sweden’s Nato membership, which Turkey’s parliament again delayed last week.
German military exports to Israel have surged 10-fold this year, with most of the deals coming in the past six weeks. So, in response to Mr Erdogan’s press conference statements, Mr Scholz asserted Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, while also denouncing anti-Semitism.
Mr Erdogan, who has long faced accusations of anti-Semitism, said that he had been leading the fight against anti-Semitism. Mr Scholz added that the duo’s divergent views on the conflict underscored the need for dialogue.
Mr Erdogan concurred, adding that if Germany joined Turkey in calling for a Gaza ceasefire, it could be achieved. This might be accurate, but the world may not want to hold its breath waiting for Berlin to criticise Israel.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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New schools in Dubai
