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Jerusalem: Isaac Herzog, the Israeli President, has confirmed his trip to Turkey as part of his plan to establish regional cooperation to combat climate change.
“Over March I am going to visit our neighbours along the Mediterranean littoral — Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey — and meet their leaders,” Herzog told a climate change conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
He said he is also keeping “close and warm contact” with the leadership of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Palestinian authority and that he intends to “get them all on board for a regional partnership confronting the climate crisis”.
Herzog cited a series scientific studies done by Israel and UN, which predicted a rise in temperature of 4 degrees Celsius, 10-20% less precipitation and an intensification floods, torrential rainfalls, heatwaves, and rising sea levels if no action is taken.
“For anyone who does not understand what this means, let me explain: this spells a genuine catastrophe,” the President said.
“A catastrophe for everyone, for anyone living near the sea, for inhabitants of areas that will turn into deserts, for victims of lethal floods and heatwaves. It is a threat to the lives of millions of people who have been forced from their homes in Africa, the Middle East, and Gaza. It also means that there could be a crisis in Gaza. It could also lead to disasters in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. It means grave consequences for all of us, for everyone who is blessed to call this beautiful region ‘home,’” Herzog added.
“This is a fully-fledged existential threat,” he concluded.
His role as a President is largely ceremonial but since taking office in 2021, he has been employing diplomacy to improve Israel’s relations with Turkey. Ties between the two countries have been deeply strained since Israel’s deadly assault on a Turkish-led aid flotilla toward Israel-blockaded Gaza in 2010.
Herzog will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdan during his March trip. They have spoken several times over the phone in 2021.
