Latest news with #IsraelSyria
Al Arabiya
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israel's normalization appeal elicits mixed responses in Syria, Lebanon
Israel's overture this week to Syria and Lebanon for a peace deal has sparked mixed reactions in both countries, where the idea of normalizing ties has long been considered taboo. On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country had an 'interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests.' Beirut and Damascus did not comment on Saar's words. His statement comes amid major shifts in the region's power dynamics, including the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December and the weakening of Lebanese Hezbollah after its latest war with Israel. Syria's new authorities have confirmed they held indirect talks with Israel to reduce tensions after the Israeli army took over the UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and bombed countless Syrian army positions. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly stated that Damascus does not seek conflict with its neighbors, asking the international community to pressure Israel into stopping its attacks. He has also refrained from using his predecessor Assad's terms for Israel, like 'the usurping entity' or 'the Zionist enemy.' Amid a rapidly shifting regional landscape, some Syrians have expressed a tentative openness to the prospect of normalization. 'There is no problem with conducting peace negotiations, but in a way that maintains Syria's dignity,' said housewife Rania al-Fawakhiri, sitting in a cafe in Damascus. 'Of course, we are not talking about complete normalization, but conditional normalization that does not undermine our rights,' she added. Syria has said that the goal of ongoing negotiations is the reimplementation of the 1974 ceasefire between the two countries. Golan issue In the same cafe, lawyer Awad al-Hamad said that Syrians would support 'any peace that leads to the restoration of Syrian rights.' 'We want our land, we have occupied land,' he added, referring to the Golan Heights, which he said will 'only ever be Arab and Syrian.' Israel occupied the Golan Heights during the 1967 war and then annexed it in 1981, in a move not recognized by the international community. In his statement, Saar stated that the Golan Heights 'will remain part of the State of Israel' under any future peace agreement. For decades under Assad rule, Syrian school curricula presented Israel as an 'enemy' and an 'occupying entity,' and deemed the liberation of the Golan a 'national duty.' Syria and Israel have technically been in a state of war since 1948. Under Assad, Syria repeatedly asked for the Golan Heights to be returned in exchange for peace. Prior to the current indirect talks, no negotiations had taken place since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, which saw Iran and its proxies expand their networks in the country. Israel's interest in normalizing comes after many of its enemies were weakened in its wars in Lebanon, Gaza and Iran. The United States has been strongly pushing for normalization, with Syria envoy Tom Barrack saying on Sunday that Sharaa 'has indicated that he doesn't hate Israel... and that he wants peace on that border.' 'We will fight' Barrack also asked Lebanese officials to formally commit to fully disarming Hezbollah, one of Israel's sworn enemies. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah positions, despite a November ceasefire that sought to end its war with the Iran-backed group. Lebanese officials have vowed that state forces will be the sole bearers of arms and demanded that Israel fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon. The latest conflict with Israel began after Hezbollah launched attacks across the border in 2023 in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza, before it escalated into a full-blown war in September. Hezbollah's areas of influence in south and east Lebanon, as well as Beirut's southern suburbs, saw heavy destruction, while the country's already crippled economy suffered heavy blows. Walking in Beirut's Hamra street, 71-year-old Naim Qassir said that 'Lebanon's wellbeing comes first, and if the only way to get that is through normalization... we could have a peace treaty to rebuild our country.' A few meters away, 46-year-old driver Ahmed Shamas said that 'even if the whole world normalizes with Israel... we the owners of the land in the south, the Beqaa and Dahiyeh (Beirut's southern suburbs) will not.' 'We will fight it until the end of time.'
LBCI
01-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Inside Israeli-Syrian normalization talks: What does a peace agreement offer both sides?
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Israeli aspirations for a comprehensive peace agreement with Syria have diminished, with sources involved in ongoing contacts between Tel Aviv and Damascus ruling out any consensus on the future of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Israel continues to insist that any peace deal must include Syria's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Tel Aviv views as a strategic asset. However, Syria remains firm in rejecting any agreement without a complete Israeli withdrawal from the territory. With this fundamental dispute unresolved, the nature of negotiations has shifted from the prospect of a formal peace agreement to talks focused on reaching a security arrangement with the knowledge and involvement of the United States. According to the preliminary framework under discussion, new security measures would be implemented along the Syrian-Israeli border, effectively updating the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides. The plan includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas occupied after the fall of the Assad regime in exchange for guarantees from Damascus to crack down on groups Israel labels as terrorist organizations. The first stage of these measures, as reported by Israeli officials, involves the removal of approximately 3,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives from the Syrian capital. The proposed agreement also outlines intelligence and security coordination between Syria and Israel as part of a joint plan aimed at preventing Hezbollah and Iran from reestablishing military footholds in Syria, which Israel views as a threat to regional stability. Notably, the agreement includes Israeli recognition of the Shebaa Farms as Syrian territory, a move expected to provoke strong opposition from Hezbollah. Beyond security, the proposal extends to economic cooperation, including discussions on the potential export of Israeli natural gas to Syria and coordination with Jordan on managing water resources in the Yarmouk River Basin. Furthermore, there is consideration of transforming Mount Hermon, known as Jabal Al-Sheikh, into a joint ski resort bridging the Israeli-occupied and Syrian-controlled sections of the Golan. However, the agreement faces significant resistance, especially given its lack of provisions for a demilitarized zone or strict controls over the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington next Monday, negotiations are expected to intensify in an effort to finalize a draft agreement. Israeli sources indicate that Netanyahu hopes to announce the deal alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, possibly in front of the White House or at the United Nations, in what he believes would be a historic achievement capable of overshadowing his political setbacks, particularly the October 7 incidents.
Arab News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel FM says Golan to ‘remain part of' Israel in any Syria peace deal
JERUSALEM: Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that the occupied Golan Heights 'will remain part of' Israel under any potential peace agreement with Syria. 'In any peace agreement, the Golan will remain part of the State of Israel,' Saar told a news conference in Jerusalem, referring to the territory Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by the United Nations.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel interested in ties with Syria and Lebanon, foreign minister says
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel is interested in establishing official diplomatic ties with old foes Syria and Lebanon, but will not negotiate the fate of the Golan Heights in any peace agreement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a press conference on Monday. Relations in the region were thrown into uncertainty by more than a year of fighting between Israel and Lebanon from late 2023, in parallel to the war in Gaza, and by the overthrow of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 after capturing most of the area from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. In May, Reuters reported that Israel and Syria's new Islamist rulers were in direct contact and had held face-to-face meetings aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region between the enemies. U.S. President Donald Trump met Syria's president in Saudi Arabia in the same month and urged him to normalise ties with Israel, making a surprise announcement that the U.S. would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government. Soon after Syria's Assad was toppled, Israeli troops moved into a demilitarised zone inside Syria, including the Syrian side of strategic Mount Hermon, which overlooks Damascus.
Fox News
01-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Momentum builds for Israel-Syria peace as Trump reboots regional diplomacy
For the first time, Syrians are openly calling for peace with Israel. In an interview with Fox News Digital, journalist Furat Alali from Damascus said, "We want a future without wars. We want to live. People are not afraid to speak up anymore." Her statement reflects a significant shift in the country's political landscape, as many Syrians begin to openly discuss the prospect of peace with Israel. This change comes at a time when Syria and Israel are engaged in direct talks as Reuters revealed on Tuesday, marking a dramatic departure from the decades-long hostility between the two nations. Reuters reported, Israel and Syria have recently held direct meetings focused on security issues along their shared border. These talks represent a major step in the relationship between the two countries, which have been adversaries for decades. Sources familiar with the discussions have indicated that the U.S. has played a pivotal role in facilitating these talks, encouraging Syria's new leadership to engage with Israel. The discussions come after a shift in U.S. policy, following President Donald Trump's meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this month. The meeting signaled a break from decades of U.S. hostility toward Syria's Assad regime and opened the door to potential normalization between Syria and Israel. While the talks are still in the early stages, Trump's engagement has raised the possibility of Syria's leadership eventually normalizing ties with Israel, although this process will likely take time. Furat Alali explained: "We don't want to be part of the Axis of Resistance anymore. The Palestinian cause has been used to oppress us. We feel sympathy for the Palestinians, but now we need to focus on Syria and our future." Lina Ali, a 24-year-old pharmacist from Latakia, told Fox News Digital, "We feel for the people of Gaza. We condemn the mass killings, but we are in a different situation. We are thinking about our own interests now. The idea of exploiting the Palestinian cause to oppress the Syrian people has been rejected. We are tired of this." Another young woman interviewed by Jusoor News, a Pan-Arab media outlet, shared similar thoughts: "We are for anything that serves our country's interest. We've lived through difficult times. The country's economy is very weak. It's time for people to live." An elderly Syrian man explained to Jusoor, "We've spent 40-50 years preaching Arabism and liberating Palestine, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing. It's time for peace." The shift in Syria's stance on Israel is significant, especially given the historical enmity between the two nations. For decades, Syria and Israel have been locked in conflict, with the status of the Golan Heights remaining a key point of contention since its capture by Israel during the 1967 war. Syria's involvement in the Axis of Resistance, aligning with Iran and Hezbollah against Israel, has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy. However, the recent emergence of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has raised new possibilities, as well as concerns. Furat Ali said, "I was one of the journalists who extensively covered the violations of Jabhat al-Nusra before the fall of the Assad regime, the group Al-Jolani emerged from (using his previous name), which was part of al-Qaeda. I know exactly what they did. So, when I first heard that Al-Jolani was taking over Aleppo and challenging Assad, I was scared." "But as time went on," she added, "when he rebranded himself as Ahmed al-Sharaa and promised a new direction, I saw he was smart. He managed to convince the West to lift sanctions and engage with him, bringing back international recognition for Syria. While we remain skeptical and cautious, what we're seeing from Sharaa domestically is so far being accepted." Joseph Braude, founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications, highlighted the significance of the shift in public opinion within Syria. He noted, "People in Syria and Lebanon often associate the Palestinian issue with dictators who exploited it to justify corruption and brutality. There is a growing rejection of pro-Palestinian militancy, as many people now desire to turn the page and focus on new partnerships aimed at developing their own countries. "We believe that it has become a majority view in Syria that if peace with Israel brings economic development and improvements, then it's worth pursuing." He also pointed out that in countries dominated by Iran and its militias, ordinary people have the clearest understanding of the harm these groups cause. "They are among the most eager for a different future, increasingly calling for peace," Braude added. As one man interviewed by Jusoor News put it: "We've suffered years of oppression and war. It's time for reconstruction. We need peace with everyone," another Syrian added' "I support normalization a million percent! If normalization with Israel, or America or whoever can bring us comfort, then I'm on board. We just want peace!"
