Turkey’s president calls the war in Gaza an ‘ecocide’ at the UN climate summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used his address at the UN climate summit to describe the war in Gaza as an 'ecocide,' according to coverage from AP News, Financial Times, Daily Sabah, Israel National News, and The Jerusalem Post. Erdoğan also condemned what he called rising settler violence against Palestinians, as reported by Daily Sabah. The Turkish president's language marks a sharp escalation in diplomatic rhetoric, framing the conflict's environmental destruction as a central concern for the international climate gathering.

Coverage emphasizes a parallel diplomatic move: Turkey's decision to exclude Israel from the COP31 climate summit scheduled to be held in Turkey. The Jerusalem Post reports that a Turkish minister confirmed Israel's exclusion directly over the Gaza war. Israel National News notes that Israeli officials fired back at Erdoğan's 'ecocide' accusation, though the coverage does not detail the specific content of the Israeli response. The Financial Times highlights the unusual prominence given to the Gaza conflict at a forum typically focused on emissions targets and energy transition, suggesting Turkey is leveraging the climate platform to internationalize its stance on the war.

The context for these developments includes Turkey's longstanding support for the Palestinian cause and its increasingly confrontational relationship with Israel under the current governments. The UN climate summit, formally known as the Conference of the Parties (COP), rotates host duties, and Turkey's selection for COP31 gives it significant agenda-setting power. By labeling the war an 'ecocide' — a term implying widespread, long-term environmental damage — Erdoğan is attempting to create a new legal and moral framework for discussing the conflict within international institutions. The exclusion of Israel from COP31 would be an unprecedented step for a UN climate conference, which typically operates on consensus and universal participation principles.

What to watch next includes whether other nations echo the 'ecocide' framing in their own summit addresses, and whether Israel's exclusion from COP31 is formalized through UN channels or remains a bilateral Turkish decision. Coverage does not specify if the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat has commented on the exclusion. Observers will also monitor if the 'ecocide' terminology gains traction in international legal forums or remains political rhetoric. The Israeli government's formal diplomatic response, beyond the initial pushback reported by Israel National News, will indicate whether this episode deepens the bilateral rupture or opens a channel for managed de-escalation.