Israel would not be irrational enough to risk confrontation with Türkiye: Top official

In an exclusive interview with Turkish media outlet Hurriyet, Türkiye’s Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus dismissed the possibility of a military conflict between Türkiye and Israel.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 150th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Kurtulmus said, “Under no circumstances do I believe Israel would be irrational enough to risk a conflict with Türkiye.”

“Any other scenario would be madness.” He added.

‘Israel clearly initiated agenda to realize promised land’

Addressing Israel’s ongoing operations in Syria and beyond, Kurtulmus argued that the country’s strategic goals extend well beyond Gaza.

He said, “Israel has initiated its agenda to realize the Promised Land. The issue is not just the annexation of Gaza… If that were the case, why did they attack Lebanon? If they aim to expel Palestinians from their homeland, then why are they attacking Syria, Yemen, and Iran?”

“Israel has begun acting to eliminate all elements it sees as a threat to itself,” he continued.

‘Türkiye is alert and has defined its strategic objectives’

Kurtulmus emphasized Türkiye’s preparedness and strategic clarity in the region and said, “Türkiye is alert and has defined its strategic objectives.”

“Israel must be stopped at a certain point by the international system. Otherwise, from this point on, it would be madness that would drag the entire Middle East into turbulence,” he added.

Broader global concerns: From multipolarity to arms race

Although the primary focus was Israel, Kurtulmus also commented on shifting global dynamics and the weakening of institutions such as NATO, the UN, and the EU.

He said the world is moving toward a new structure: “We are seeing clear signs that none of the old world order mechanisms are valid anymore and that an entirely new world is being formed.”

He described this transformation as both multipolar and multicentered, citing countries like China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Türkiye as emerging centers of influence.

“By multicentered, I mean that different regions around the world are starting to emerge. China is one of those centers… India, Brazil, Mexico, and Türkiye—these are all countries that are becoming new potential centers in the global landscape. So I believe there will be no return to a bipolar or unipolar system. A multicentered, multipolar world will shape the next era.”

“Yes, but it goes further. It won’t be a bipolar or a unipolar world—we’re moving toward a multipolar and multi-centered world,” he said.

Kurtulmus warned of a growing arms race: “We now live in a world where the parties to global tensions possess far more lethal weapons and are engaged in a much more intense arms race than before. The outcome of this is unpredictable.”

“We are now facing an international system that cannot prevent global tensions. In other words, we’re moving toward a system that only exists on paper—one that doesn’t function in reality and has no enforcement power,” he said.

On Türkiye’s proposed global solution, he said, “A new world must be established. First, we must all decide together on which principles this new world system should be based. It is essential to bring forward joint efforts of different nations and to redesign the entire international structure—starting with the United Nations—along with the global political and economic architecture.”

‘Europe failed to speak out against annexation’

Turning to Europe, Kurtulmus criticized its reaction to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and said, “If Europe had responded to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the world could have developed in a completely different way. But Europe failed to raise its voice against the annexation.”

He emphasized the impact of this inaction on Europe’s current security concerns and said, “The security concerns Europe faces today are actually a consequence it should have expected.”

“In addition, Trump made it clear that neither the U.S. nor NATO would bear Europe’s security burden. Therefore, Europe is effectively being pushed out of the equation.”

‘Trump has made it clear that he will escalate the trade wars’

On the United States’ evolving role, Kurtulmus criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach and said, “Trump has made it clear that he will escalate the trade wars he began in his first term to prevent new global power centers from emerging.”

“There’s no doubt this will develop as a reciprocal game. But you look at it and it’s obvious that all these developments-from proxy wars carried out through terrorist organizations to long-standing trade wars—are dragging the world toward a very dangerous point,” he warned.