Türkiye, Israel 'will not go to war,' US envoy says

BEIRUT

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack stated that Türkiye and Israel will not engage in war, signaling potential rapprochement during a forum in Bahrain.

Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue on Nov. 1, Barrack said, "Türkiye and Israel will not be at war with each other."

He added that a trade agreement between the two nations could be signed in the "not too distant future."

Barrack noted, "For now, I think everything stays where it is, and Türkiye will be part of it," referring to the Gaza ceasefire process.

He highlighted Türkiye's and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's pivotal role in securing the Gaza ceasefire.

"There would be no ceasefire in Gaza without Türkiye," Barrack said, explaining that Erdoğan's influence helped convince two reluctant parties due to Türkiye's relations with Hamas.

U.S. President Donald Trump has similarly praised Erdoğan's key role in persuading Hamas during the ceasefire negotiations.

Barrack described Trump's Middle East policy as transformative: "The president changed the entire chessboard. You see it everywhere."

He predicted an alignment "from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean."

Critiquing Western policies, Barrack remarked, "Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, everything the West has done has been a mistake."

He argued that imposing colonial mandates on tribes, flags, and religious ties never worked, leading to the collapse of centralized models.

Barrack contended that only "benevolent monarchies" have endured in the region, proving effective as a governance form.

Erdoğan has strongly denounced the Israeli war on Gaza, where over 68,500 people have been killed since October 2023, and called for Muslim unity against Israel.

On May 2, 2024, Türkiye completely halted all export, import, and transit trade operations with Israel across all product categories, ending all commercial activity, including customs and free-zone transactions, between the two countries.