 He entered academia as an Arabist and, since 1972, he has been attached, as senior researcher, to the Dayan Institute.He has authored a biography of Haj Amin al-Husseini, which is considered one of the standard works on the man.Zvi Elpeleg served as chairman of the Turkey-Israel Friendship Association and was appointed Turkey's honorary consul to Tel Aviv by the former Turkish president Süleyman Demirel in gratitude for the role he played in overseeing Israeli IDF Aid for Turkish Earthquake Victims in August 1999.