Attorney Yair Gabay, a planning and construction law expert, is leading a personal campaign against illegal construction at the Turkish consulate compound in Jerusalem.
1+Gabay’s fight began after information surfaced about construction work carried out without required permits at the consulate compound. He’s now pressing enforcement authorities to pursue legal action against the site. According to Gabay, enforcement attempts have hit a wall—the Turkish consulate flatly refuses to cooperate with professional inspectors, raising a fundamental question of sovereignty and equality before the law in the heart of the capital.
Gabay explained that beyond the legal aspect of planning and construction violations, this is a significant test of Israel’s ability to enforce its laws in Jerusalem against foreign missions. In his view, it’s unacceptable for an Israeli citizen in Jerusalem to be required to comply with every detail of planning laws while a foreign country allows itself to carry out illegal construction and uses consular status as cover to prevent enforcement.
1+“Jerusalem is not a lawless territory, and consular status doesn’t grant a permit to ignore the state’s laws,” he said. As part of his campaign, he’s demanding that the Jerusalem Municipality and relevant state authorities not back down from planned enforcement proceedings and exhaust all legal tools to ensure the Turkish government is also subject to Israeli law within city limits. His fight takes on added significance given the political tensions and public criticism of Turkey’s expanding activity in Jerusalem. He made clear he intends to continue his efforts until full enforcement sovereignty is applied inside the consulate compound as well.