Israel ‘wants to avoid’ conflict with Türkiye: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel “wants to avoid” any conflict with Türkiye, following talks with United States President Donald Trump at the White House.

A scheduled joint press conference between the two leaders was abruptly canceled without explanation—an unusual move, as Netanyahu and Trump had spoken to reporters in the Oval Office and held a press event during the Israeli leader’s last visit.

“We don’t want to see Syria being used by anyone, including Turkey, as a base to attack Israel,” amid speculation that Türkiye and Syria are preparing to sign a joint defense agreement, reportedly including agreement to deploy Turkish forces to the T4 airbase in Palmyra, Syria.

‘You have to be reasonable’: Trump

Netanyahu added that Türkiye has a strong relationship with the U.S. and said the two leaders discussed ways Israel could avoid a confrontation with Ankara.

Pointing to Trump’s close ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu suggested the U.S. president could serve as an ideal mediator to help prevent further escalation between Israel and Türkiye.

Meanwhile, “Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think I can solve. I mean, as long as you’re reasonable, you have to be reasonable. We have to be reasonable,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump also said that he has “great relations with” President Erdogan, “and he likes me, and we’ve never had a problem, and we’ve gone through a lot.”