Katz Hits Back After Turkish Minister Says Jerusalem Will Be “Ours Again”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz sharply responded Sunday to Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi after the Turkish minister said Jerusalem would one day be “liberated” and return to Turkish rule. Çiftçi made the remarks Saturday during an AK Party meeting in Çorum, according to a transcript published by Turkey’s Interior Ministry. 

Turkey ruled Jerusalem as part of the Ottoman Empire for roughly four centuries, until the empire lost control of the region during World War I. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish leaders have often framed Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue as causes tied to Turkey’s Ottoman past and its role in the Muslim world. 

Those tensions have deepened since the Gaza war began. Turkey has become one of Israel’s harshest regional critics, halted direct trade with Israel, restricted Israeli-linked maritime activity and limited certain flights connected to Israel. Çiftçi’s speech went further than general criticism of Israel by speaking openly about Jerusalem and surrounding lands returning to Turkish rule.

“Just as we saw the freedom of Damascus, Aleppo and Karabakh, God willing, one day we will also see the freedom of Jerusalem,” Çiftçi said.

He said that when he served as governor of Çorum, he had a personal prayer regarding Jerusalem. “My Lord, grant me the governorship of Jerusalem, even for one day. As in the past, those places will again be ours. God willing, they will again come under our rule and authority,” he said.

The Turkish minister tied the vision to Erdoğan’s leadership, saying Turkey was becoming a global power after years of historic changes in the region. “Because we have a global leader like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at our head, a world leader,” Çiftçi said.

He also said Turkey was in its strongest period in 200 years and was moving from being a regional power to a global power.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the remarks in a direct response to Çiftçi.

“Wake up and smell the coffee. The corrupt Ottoman Empire is gone. Forever,” the ministry said. “Jerusalem DC (David’s capital) shall remain the eternal capital of Israel. Forever.”

Katz then issued his own response in Turkish, addressing Çiftçi and Erdoğan directly.

“To the Turkish interior minister who dreams of governing Jerusalem and issues threats, I say this: Jerusalem is not Constantinople, and the State of Israel is not a collapsing Crusader Empire,” Katz wrote.

He said Israel had proven its ability to defend itself against threats and rejected the idea that Ottoman rule could return. “Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years and will remain Israel’s capital forever,” Katz said. “The Ottoman Empire that you and Erdoğan dream of has collapsed and will never return.”

Katz also invoked Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, saying Turkey’s current leaders had failed to learn from his legacy and were dragging the country backward.

The response drew anger from Turkish officials and public figures. Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş accused Katz of insulting Turkey and its history.

“No one can look down on the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish nation, try to lecture us, or wag a finger at our history,” Yavaş said.

He also told Katz to look at his own government’s record under international law before mentioning Atatürk.

For now, the clash is mainly rhetorical. Turkey is not taking practical steps toward Jerusalem, and Çiftçi’s remarks do not change Israeli control on the ground. But the comments show how far Turkey’s anti-Israel rhetoric has moved: from criticizing the Gaza war to speaking openly about Jerusalem returning to Turkish rule. For Israel, that turns a speech into a direct challenge to its sovereignty over its capital.