Trump, who hosted Netanyahu at the White House yesterday, declared that he does not want a conflict between Israel and Turkey in Syria and is ready to mediate between the parties. Trump also announced that he will begin direct talks with Iran in Oman on Saturday. These two points show that the US administration, which has adopted an isolationist strategy, is trying to avoid a new major war in the Middle East.
Trump's patronizing of Erdogan and support for Turkey in front of Netanyahu cannot but come as a surprise. It is clear that the US is interested in NATO member Turkey influencing the Syrian government. On the other hand, Israel's attempt to keep Russia in the game in order to squeeze Turkey in Syria and lobbying for the continuation of the presence of Russian bases in Syria was probably not welcomed in Washington. Trump's message is that Israel should find common ground with Turkey in a bilateral format instead of establishing cooperation with other actors in Syria.
There are also reports that negotiations have already begun between Israel and Turkey to establish a "hotline" to prevent a military clash in Syria. A similar hotline was established between Israel and Russia in the last 10 years. According to that agreement, Russian military bases and radars in Syria were not used against Israel, but instead, Israeli fighters would inform Russia in advance when they attacked Iranian-backed targets. At Trump’s request, a similar model could be created between Turkey and Israel: Turkey would continue its activities in Syria, while Israel would be able to strike all military targets it sees as a threat in Syria, bypassing Turkish facilities.
I think that after Trump, an Israeli-Turkish clash in Syria seems inevitable in the long term. However, I do not think that