The Sultan in the Holy City: How Turkey Works to Take Over East Jerusalem | Special Project

An i24NEWS investigation allegedly reveals how Turkey, through charity associations and community projects, is establishing influence in East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The report claims funds also reach terrorism, and includes testimonies about TIKA's activity and the funding of the 'Murabitat' organization.

A special i24NEWS investigation allegedly reveals Turkey's strategy in East Jerusalem: under the guise of charity and community activity, Turkey, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, channels substantial funds to establish influence in the heart of the capital and around the Temple Mount. The report, by Arab affairs commentator Baruch Yedid, describes how dozens of funded associations and charity organizations provide grants, monthly aid, food distribution, winter equipment, legal advice, educational equipment, and computers to merchants and families. Additionally, Turkey funds supplementary education programs, youth clubs, sports classes, Turkish language courses, and cultural activities at the 'Yunus Emre' center. In the Old City, the historic 'Haseki Sultan' kitchen also operates. Some projects are managed by the government aid agency 'TIKA'. The report claims, citing a former British diplomat, that the associations also channel funds to terrorist organizations, and that the agency serves as a tool for intelligence activity. It is also alleged that Yasser Murtaja, a senior Hamas figure previously arrested by the Shin Bet, headed a TIKA project in Gaza. The influence extends to the Temple Mount, including funding for religious studies and the activity of the 'Murabitat' organization, affiliated with the northern branch of the Islamic Movement. The headline presents the struggle as a threat to Israeli sovereignty.