Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli is initiating a move to bar Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and 27 other senior Turkish figures from entering Israel.
Since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, Erdogan’s son has taken part in several pro-Palestinian rallies in Turkey and called for a boycott of Israel. Bilal Erdogan has not sought to visit Israel, and at this stage the move is described as a principled step, coming amid a US-led process that included Turkey in bodies overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan
(Photo: AFP)
The effort to block entry to Israel began after Diaspora Affairs Ministry Director-General Avi Cohen Scali recommended to the Population and Immigration Authority, under his authority in Section 2(d) of Amendment 40 to the Entry Into Israel Law, that 28 antisemitic figures be denied entry.
In addition to the Turkish president’s son, the request sent by the ministry listed Fehmi Bülent Yildirim, head of the IHH organization and one of the initiators of the Mavi Marmara flotilla, as well as Turkey’s head of religious affairs, Dr. Ali Erbas, and others.
Cohen Scali said the list includes “senior figures from Turkey, including media figures and leading businesspeople, who consistently and publicly work to promote boycotts, delegitimization and incitement against the State of Israel, fueling hatred and encouraging boycotts.”
The Diaspora Affairs Ministry said all recommendations it has submitted to the Interior Ministry to date have been accepted. While the Prime Minister’s Office can still veto the move, it has never overturned such recommendations, and in any case Chikli is coordinating with it.
Chikli said of the initiative: “Turkey is an enemy state. These days we understand more than ever that it is part of the axis of evil, and just as we act against terror organizations, we will act against those who are revealed as an enemy state.”
He added that although there is no known plan by any of the individuals to visit Israel, “there have already been high-level visits by senior Turkish officials to Israel, including to the Temple Mount. Turkey also has extensive activity through TIKA, mainly in east Jerusalem, so the assumption that they will not come to Israel is incorrect.”
Referring to Turkey’s inclusion in bodies overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction, Chikli told the ynet studio earlier this week: “Turkey is not a democracy. It is not a partner in anything. When he [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] says he wants to take Jerusalem in ‘Palestine,’ I believe him.”