Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli on Thursday called for the immediate closure of the Turkish Consulate General in occupied East Jerusalem, endorsing a study that portrays Turkey’s support for Palestinian institutions as a phased campaign to take control of the city.
The study, titled “Turkey’s Phased Plan to Conquer Jerusalem: Neo-Ottoman Ambitions and the Muslim Brotherhood Doctrine,” was published by the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (JCAP).
It accuses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of pursuing influence through diplomatic missions, aid programs, religious organizations, public diplomacy and contacts with Hamas. The report applies the language of “conquest” to those activities, although the Turkish document on which much of its analysis is based does not describe a military campaign, according to Israeli news website Ynet.
The study was released on Monday at JCAP’s new headquarters during an event attended by Chikli, diplomats and Jerusalem officials. Chikli told participants that Israel should prepare for a possible military confrontation with Turkey and described Erdoğan as an enemy of the United States, NATO and Western civilization, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
JCAP based its conclusions in part on “Our Palestinian Cause,” a roughly 760 page book published by the Turkish presidency in 2024. The book presents Ankara’s account of Israel’s assault on Gaza and describes Turkey’s humanitarian assistance, calls for international legal action, support for Palestinian statehood and a proposal for several countries to guarantee an Israeli Palestinian agreement.
JCAP interprets those policies as an effort to secure a Turkish role in Gaza and Jerusalem. It also claims that Turkish aid and civil society programs promote Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The center openly advocates Israeli control over the entire city. Its website describes the Turkish Consulate as a “diplomatic Trojan horse.”
The consulate is in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Its jurisdiction covers Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and the consul general serves as Turkey’s ambassador to Palestine, according to the mission’s official description.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it, a move that the United Nations and most governments do not recognize. Turkey supports a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Ankara maintains political contacts with Hamas and does not designate it as a terrorist organization. Erdoğan has described the group as a Palestinian resistance movement, while Turkish officials have participated in negotiations involving Hamas, Israel, Qatar and the United States.
Turkey’s policies have also faced scrutiny from supporters of Palestinian rights. A UN report by Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese included Turkey among 63 countries whose actions or omissions helped sustain Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The report, “Gaza Genocide: a collective crime,” cited Turkish ports in supply chains serving Israel and evidence that some commerce continued through intermediaries after Ankara announced a trade embargo in May 2024. It also faulted Turkey and other regional governments for supporting diplomatic initiatives that failed to ensure Palestinian self-determination and accountability for Israeli crimes.