Israel excluded from COP31 climate summit in Turkey over Gaza war, Turkish minister says

Turkey excluded Israel from the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, with Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum citing Israel's actions in Gaza as the reason. The Palestinian Environment Quality Authority chairman called it a political decision. World leaders at the summit focused on geopolitical conflicts, with Brazil's Lula noting climate discussions were overshadowed.

Turkey excluded Israel from the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, with Turkish Environment Minister and COP President Murat Kurum announcing on Tuesday that Israel was not invited due to its actions in Gaza. "As the host country for the leaders' summit, we did not send an invitation to Israel," Kurum told Turkish media, adding that "there can be no climate justice where peace does not prevail." The chairman of the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority, Zaghloul Samha, told The National that the decision was political, not technical. The exclusion comes as nearly 200 countries negotiate a Turkish proposal to increase electricity's share in global energy use and revive efforts to move away from fossil fuels. However, world leaders' statements have increasingly focused on geopolitical conflicts, with Brazil's President Lula noting that "climate change disappeared from the speeches and documents from global leadership." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that slow climate action puts the world on a path to destruction. Turkish President Erdogan criticized Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, accusing it of preventing container deliveries. Greenpeace Israel criticized the government's fossil fuel policies, while Iran's President Pezeshkian attended and raised grievances against Israel and the US.