As Israel continues to firmly oppose Turkish involvement in the administration and reconstruction of Gaza, and amid US President Donald Trump’s declaration that he intends to soon announce a deadline for Hamas to disarm, a coordinated diplomatic initiative has been taking shape behind the scenes in recent weeks.
The emerging move points to a substantial deepening of Turkish involvement in the Palestinian arena and is advancing in clear opposition to Israel’s stated position, rejects any political legitimacy for Hamas, and any role for the organization in a future arrangement.
The first phase of this initiative was revealed through official publications from Ankara. On January 25 and 26, meetings took place between Turkey’s foreign minister and deputy foreign minister and senior members of Hamas’s leadership, including the head of the organization’s Shura Council and members of its political bureau.
These meetings, reported by the Turkish Foreign Ministry itself, are not regarded as routine diplomatic engagements, but rather as a deliberate expression of Ankara’s policy toward Hamas, even after the events of October 7 and amid the ongoing fighting in Gaza.
Shortly afterward, on February 6, the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem began publicizing a series of intensive meetings with senior officials of the Palestinian Authority. These included meetings with the PA’s vice president, senior Fatah figures, and officials directly involved in discussions concerning the “day after” in Gaza.
According to statements issued by the consulate and the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the talks addressed “intra-Palestinian reconciliation,” “the next stage of the political process,” and “comprehensive political arrangements.
When viewed together, however, the combination of overt meetings with Hamas’s leadership and the sustained series of contacts with the Palestinian Authority reveals a broader and more coherent picture.
An examination of the sequence of events and official statements indicates that Turkey is working to advance a framework in which Hamas would be recognized and integrated into any future Palestinian arrangement, both on the political level and within governing mechanisms, including in Gaza.
Within this context, the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem appears to be operating as part of a coordinated diplomatic effort aimed at applying sustained pressure on the Palestinian Authority’s leadership to accept Hamas as a legitimate partner in any unified Palestinian structure.
This pressure is conveyed through repeated references to “national unity,” “intra-Palestinian reconciliation,” and “reconstruction of Gaza,” terminology that obscures the fact that Hamas remains an active terrorist organization that has not abandoned its violent path.
This Turkish initiative does not exist in a vacuum. Ankara is seeking to position itself as a central actor in the Palestinian arena, in line with a neo-Ottoman worldview that identifies Jerusalem as a key strategic hub of influence.
In practice, the Turkish consulate in the city is functioning not only as a consular mission but as an active political arm, creating a diplomatic channel that bypasses Israel, from within Jerusalem itself
From Israel’s perspective, this development is particularly alarming. Any incorporation of Hamas into a future framework for Gaza or the Palestinian Authority contradicts Israel’s official position, which denies legitimacy to a terrorist organization responsible for massacres, kidnappings, and sustained rocket fire at Israeli civilians.
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