COP31 President and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum said Türkiye had not invited Israel’s government to the Nov. 11-12 leaders’ summit in Antalya, leaving its eligibility for U.N. climate negotiations intact.
Kurum said in an NTV interview that Türkiye, as host, handles invitations to the leaders’ gathering. He linked the decision to Gaza, saying in a translation of his Turkish remarks, “There can be no climate justice where peace does not prevail.”
The decision concerns the leaders’ meeting, not Israel’s standing in the U.N. climate process. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) lists Israel as a party to the convention. Its schedule allows parties and observer states to attend the conference’s high-level segment.
COP31 opened Nov. 9 amid a dispute over requests to add climate finance to its agenda. The wider conference is scheduled to run through Nov. 20, with the leaders’ summit set for Nov. 11-12.
