A new policy paper published by the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy called on the Israeli government to take a series of steps to reduce the Turkish consulate’s activity in Jerusalem and limit the status of its representatives.
Among the recommendations are revoking diplomatic benefits, canceling work visas, restricting freedom of movement in Israel, removing immunity from diplomatic vehicles, and reexamining the activity of Turkish institutions operating in the city.
The paper, written by retired ambassador Ran Yishai, who heads the center’s research division, includes 10 policy recommendations. According to the author, their purpose is to reduce what he defines as hostile Turkish influence in Jerusalem and strengthen the implementation of Israeli sovereignty in the city.
At the center of the document is the claim that the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem does not function as an authorized representative office to the State of Israel, but rather as a body operating mainly with the Palestinian Authority. For that reason, the paper argues, there is no justification for Israel to continue granting its representatives the full range of benefits normally extended in diplomatic relations between states.
Yishai says that for years Israel allowed the Turkish consulate to operate in Jerusalem in a manner that went beyond its official status. In his view, the consulate serves as a central hub in Ankara’s policy in the city and acts in a way that denies Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.
“For years Turkey has undermined Israel’s sovereignty, while Israel turned a blind eye,” Yishai said. “The Turkish consulate in Jerusalem is the locomotive driving Turkey’s hostile policy toward Israel in the city, one that denies Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem and seeks to restore Turkey to a leading status in the city.”
He added, “For decades Israel has allowed the consulate to operate in Jerusalem as if it were an embassy to the Palestinian Authority. That situation must end.”
JCAP recommends Israel deny Turkish embassy diplomatic privileges
One of the main recommendations is to deny diplomatic privileges to representatives who are not accredited to the State of Israel. The paper proposes canceling their work visas, limiting their movement within Israel, and removing the immunity granted to the vehicles they use.
The document also recommends canceling reserved parking spaces allocated to the mission, stripping tax exemptions, and reviewing the property tax exemption granted to buildings used by the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem.
Further recommendations concern the activities of Turkish bodies operating in the city under the consulate’s patronage or with its support. Among other things, the paper calls for a review of the activities of the Turkish cultural center Yunus Emre and the work of the Turkish aid agency TIKA. The Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy also wants allegations of illegal construction on compounds linked to these bodies examined. According to the recommendations, if violations or construction offenses are found, the authorities should issue orders and exercise their enforcement powers.
Another issue raised by the paper is the situation in which diplomatic staff officially accredited to the State of Israel simultaneously hold positions within the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem. The paper’s authors recommend ending this dual role, which they say blurs the distinction between the Turkish embassy accredited to Israel and the representative office operating with the Palestinians.
The document presents Ankara with a diplomatic alternative: if Turkey wants to maintain a full diplomatic presence in Jerusalem, it should move its embassy in Israel to the city, as the US did in 2018. In that case, it would have to close the consulate that operates with the Palestinian Authority, the paper argues.
Turkey, Israel face diplomatic tensions
The recommendations reflect a tougher line toward Turkey’s activity in Jerusalem, against the backdrop of tense relations between the two countries and Israeli criticism of Ankara’s involvement in east Jerusalem and its support for Palestinian bodies in the city.
The Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy says Israel has for years limited itself to protests and statements, while refraining from using the administrative, legal, and diplomatic tools at its disposal. It is now calling on the government to move from a policy of restraint to one of active enforcement.
According to the center’s staff, the goal is not necessarily to bring about the immediate closure of the consulate, but to change the rules under which it operates and make clear that a foreign mission operating in Jerusalem cannot enjoy Israeli benefits while at the same time acting in a way that does not recognize Israeli sovereignty in the city.
The paper is not binding on the Foreign Ministry or on other authorities. Still, it offers a range of practical steps that could be implemented gradually, from revoking individual privileges to a fundamental change in the status of the Turkish mission in Jerusalem.
The paper concludes that after years of restraint, Israel must set clear limits on foreign diplomatic activity in its capital. The message its authors seek to establish is simple: anyone who wants to operate in Jerusalem as a full diplomatic mission must do so while recognizing the sovereignty of the State of Israel in the city.