The Israeli President officially assigns Gadi Eisenkot to form the next government

The stalemate in the “Peace and Democratic Society Process,” or what Ankara calls the “Terrorism-Free Turkey Process,” based on the dissolution and disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), for nearly 3 months, raises questions and concerns about the possibility of its continuation amid assurances from the government and parliament that it has not and will not stop.

The co-chair of the People's Democracy and Equality Party, Tuncer Bakirhan, called on the government to take concrete steps that reassure society and increase confidence and support for this process, and not deal with it from a security perspective.

Bakirhan said: “The government and the state should not deal with this issue from a purely security perspective. The Kurdish issue is not a security issue, and the issue of democracy should not be viewed in this way. They must fully realize that the current situation results from the absence of democracy, and that this process is a very important way out for Turkey, from the economy to the law, and from health to politics.”

Bakirhan added, during a speech on Saturday night - Sunday, in which he outlined the features of his party council’s program in the next stage, that “steps must be taken commensurate with the seriousness and sensitivity of the process, and social dynamics must bear responsibility for its progress, or in other words, it is necessary not to leave the reins of this process to the Kurds alone, or to the government alone. Otherwise, it will be implemented without anyone benefiting from its results.”

Since the Turkish Parliament approved, on August 10, the “Law on Promoting National Solidarity and Social Integration,” known as the “Framework Law” for the peace process, which includes legal guarantees for the return of PKK militants and their integration into society after confirming the end of the party’s disarmament, no concrete steps have been taken that indicate progress in the process, according to the Kurdish side.

Following the adoption of the law, the “Monitoring, Follow-up and Integration Coordination Council”, which was formed under the chairmanship of Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, held one meeting on August 24, during which it was agreed to form 4 committees: “Judicial and Legal Coordination”, “Follow-up and Monitoring”, “Social Harmony and Integration”, and “Disarmament and Strategic Coordination”. Parliament is also expected to establish a monitoring committee in which the main parties will be represented.

As announced by the Chief Legal Advisor to the Turkish Presidency, Mehmet Oçum, Ocalan will be a member of the “Disarmament and Strategic Coordination” Committee, while the Kurdish side demands that Ocalan be given the freedom to lead the process in the disarmament phase.

On the other hand, the Kurdistan Workers' Party announced new steps aimed at advancing the course of the process, announcing the completion of the withdrawal of all its armed elements from Turkey and the evacuation of many sites in northern Iraq, near its borders, with the aim of "removing any excuse for the Turkish government to slow down the implementation of the peace process."

The party confirmed that it had thus completed all steps to abandon the armed struggle and move towards democratic action.

Bakirhan saw that the process has not stopped and that it is “progressing in some way,” calling on everyone, whether the government, the opposition, civil organizations, and various groups of people, to adopt it and support its success, because the Kurdish issue is not just a process between the Kurds and the “Democracy and Equality for Peoples” party, the state, and the government.

In turn, the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, stressed that the process that began to solve the most important problem facing Turkey in the first century of the Republic’s history, which is the problem of terrorism, will continue as a project for the Republic in the second century of its history, and not as a project for a single political party or group of parties, because it concerns every individual of the people, and it is an issue that completely transcends the limits of narrow party politics.

In a speech during a gathering of civil society organizations in Malatya, eastern Turkey, Kurtulmus called on everyone to pay attention to the language they use and avoid inflammatory speech, pointing out that Turkey has paid a heavy price for the problem of terrorism, and has gone through difficult periods in which the hopes of its people were shattered, and scenarios of division and separation emerged.

He explained that “Turkey free of terrorism” also means consolidating a “terrorism-free zone,” expressing his happiness at seeing serious steps starting to be taken in neighboring countries, especially Syria and Iraq, with regard to disarmament and establishing internal peace.

In the same context, the prominent Kurdish politician, Selahattin Demirtas, confirmed that one of the main reasons for the stagnation of the process is the lack of trust between its two parties, considering that the most urgent step is to create the appropriate conditions for Ocalan’s status, work, and communication in a manner commensurate with his role in the process.

He pointed out, in an article from inside his prison published by the “Qad Barış Maidani” website, the need for the “Democracy and Equality for Peoples” party and the opposition parties to adopt a constructive political approach, and for the “Kurdistan Workers’ Party” to accelerate the disarmament phase.

Demirtas, the former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party who was arrested 10 years ago on multiple charges, most notably supporting terrorism and promoting a terrorist organization (the Kurdistan Workers' Party), called on the state to achieve legal and democratic guarantees, stressing that the responsibility of the Kurdistan Workers' Party for disarmament cannot be replaced by its responsibility to establish democracy, provide legal guarantees, and pave the way for freedoms, and society must become an integral part of this process in order for it to continue. Go ahead and pay it forward.

The Israeli Defense Minister said today (Sunday) that Israel has not yet finished dealing with Iran, renewing his accusations that Tehran seeks to possess nuclear weapons, something Tehran has always denied.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated during an official ceremony, saying: “With regard to Iran, the mission is not yet complete. Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, along with other dangerous efforts that put the State of Israel in real danger,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

Israel launched two wars against Iran, the first in June 2025 that lasted 12 days, and the second in partnership with the United States in February 2026, causing the outbreak of a large-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political survival, has repeatedly threatened in recent weeks to launch new strikes against Iran, but it is unclear whether he has the support of his close ally, US President Donald Trump, who received a strong blow from voters in Tuesday’s elections, partly due to public anger over the war.

The Israeli Channel 12 reported the day before yesterday (Friday) that Netanyahu and the Mossad intelligence service attempted to carry out an operation against Iran on the eve of the Israeli elections that took place on October 27, but the United States learned of the matter and thwarted it.

Since the attack of October 7, 2023, Netanyahu has led a war that has included several countries. Israel destroyed the Gaza Strip and invaded Lebanon, after Hezbollah began shooting at Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israel also crossed the previous ceasefire line to control parts of Syria - its historical adversary - following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, which had been in power for a long time, in 2024.

Katz added: “We will not withdraw from the security areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. If the terrorist organization Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will receive very severe blows.”

It is noteworthy that Netanyahu suffered losses in the October 27 elections, as his rival, Gadi Eisenkot, was tasked with forming a new government. Eisenkot - a former army chief of staff - warned the Israeli military establishment that Netanyahu does not have a mandate and that a war should not be fought for his “political needs.” Although Eisenkot himself had mostly supported Netanyahu's decisions regarding the war.

Katz said, in a speech he delivered during a ceremony honoring Israeli soldiers killed in the 1956 war on Egypt: “We may argue and we may disagree, but when the security of the state is at stake, we must know how to rise above our differences.”