One of the loudest reactions to Israel’s war in Gaza recently has come from Turkey. Usually one of Israel’s closest allies, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been very vocal in his criticism of Israel, and popular demonstrations have made it clear whose side the people are on.

Turkish newspaper Vatan reported that the only other Middle Eastern leaders to criticize Israel in the way that Turkey has are Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi. For example, at a campaign rally, Erdogan said that Israel was “perpetrating inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction. Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents.”

In Ankara, authorities called off a basketball game between a Turkish and Israeli team. Three thousand Turkish protesters filled the stadium, waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Allah Akbar.” They even burned an Israeli flag in front of the arena.

“This is the first time that the public reaction has been so widespread. It’s very intensive this time,” says Sami Kohen, a columnist with the daily Milliyet. “There haven’t been such widespread and spontaneous anti-Israel sentiments before. It’s not just the Islamic circles. It’s also the secularists and the nationalists. The protests have been representative of the whole of Turkish society. I don’t remember seeing such a public reaction on any other issue before.”

Most analysts believe that Israel and Turkey will get over this spat and move on. But it does show a deep-seated anti-Israeli feeling inside the country. This dislike of Israel will play a big role in Turkey’s future. For more information, see our article “Why Turkey Matters.”