Turkey's Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi hinted on Saturday that Jerusalem would return to Turkish control. "Just as we saw the liberation of Damascus, Aleppo and Karabakh, with God's help, one day we will also see the liberation of Jerusalem," the minister said at a gathering of the ruling party. "As in the past, these lands will be ours once again and come under our sovereignty and dominion, with God's help."
Çiftçi said in his speech that being appointed governor of Jerusalem had been his heart's desire for years. "When I was a governor, I had a prayer to God," he said. "My prayer was: 'O Lord, grant me the governorship of Jerusalem, even if just for a single day.' I still believe God will show us those days, and he will certainly show them to us."
Şam'ın, Halep'in, Karabağ'ın özgürlüğünü gördüğümüz gibi inşallah bir gün Kudüs'ün de özgürlüğünü göreceğiz.
Benim valiyken Cenabı Hak'tan bir niyazım vardı. Malum burada beş sene valilik yaptıktan sonra Erzurum'a tayin oldum. İki buçuk sene de orada görev yaptım. İçten içe… pic.twitter.com/8Ybw4tJH4g
— Mustafa ÇİFTÇİ (@mustafaciftcitr) June 6, 2026
In his speech, Çiftçi used symbols associated with Ottoman imperialism and called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a "global leader." The minister also said that "Turkey is going through its strongest period in the past 200 years," adding that he believed that under Erdoğan's leadership, the country would become "a global power instead of a regional power."
