Syria willing to normalise ties with Israel 'under right conditions,' Sharaa says
Syria is prepared to normalise ties with Israel and join the Abraham Accords under the “right conditions,” Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new president, told a US lawmaker as he tries to obtain sanctions relief and address an Israeli occupation of southwestern Syria.
Republican congressman and President Donald Trump ally Cory Mills met with Sharaa in Damascus for 90 minutes last week on a fact-finding trip sponsored by Syrian Americans.
Mills told Bloomberg that he discussed with Sharaa the steps needed for him to obtain sanctions relief.
He said he told Sharaa Syria must destroy chemical weapons left behind by Bashar al-Assad’s government, partner with neighbouring countries on counterterrorism and deal with foreign fighters who filled the ranks of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist armed group he commanded that ousted Assad.
Mills also said that Sharaa must provide assurances to Israel.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Syria has been pummeled by Israeli strikes since Assad’s ouster. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sent Israeli soldiers into Syria to occupy a swath of the mountainous southwest, giving the Israeli army a perch over Damascus.
The Israeli occupation of Syria is one of a host of challenges Sharaa faces. Syria’s economy is in shambles, with most of the country living in poverty and the estimated cost of reconstruction from the civil war running at $400bn.
The US imposed debilitating sanctions on Syria in response to Assad’s crackdown on protestors. They have generally remained in place since HTS toppled Assad and Sharaa established an interim government. Other sanctions, like the state sponsor of terrorism designation, date back to 1979.
Analysts say the US sanctions have deterred investment, especially from oil-rich Gulf states and Turkey, which are likely to take the lead in reconstructing Syria.
Sharaa seeks Gulf support
The Trump administration has shown little urgency to remove the sanctions, but there have been some small steps towards relief. In March, Reuters reported that the US gave Qatar permission to provide natural gas to Syria via a Jordanian pipeline.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported earlier this month that Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria’s debts to the World Bank, in a move that would unlock millions of dollars for initial reconstruction.
Mills told Bloomberg that Sharaa had also provided him with a letter to take back to Trump. The meeting between the two men underscores just how much the Middle East has changed.
Sharaa joined al-Qaeda in the early 00s to fight the US’ 2003 invasion of Iraq. Mills, a staunch defender of Trump, was an army sniper in Iraq during the invasion. He then worked as a military contractor. Mills told Sharaa he wanted to speak "soldier to soldier," according to Bloomberg.
Sharaa’s comments about joining the Abraham Accords would put him more into lockstep with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020.
None of those Arab countries, however, fought a war with Israel. Sharaa himself hails originally from the Golan Heights, a strategic mountainous region of Syria which Israel occupied in 1967 and then annexed. After Assad’s ouster, Israeli troops pushed deeper into Syria, taking over a UN buffer zone.
Sharaa previously said he was motivated by the Palestinian cause, however, since coming to power he has signalled a willingness to crack down on Palestinian fighters.
Damascus signalled to US with Palestinian arrests
That appears to be partly in response to a US demand that Damascus publicly ban all Palestinian armed and political activities and deport members of Palestinian armed groups.
On Tuesday, Sharaa’s government arrested two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials in a sign that one US official told Middle East Eye was intended to demonstrate Damascus’ capabilities.
“Syria’s new rulers have an onus to show they can address American and Israeli security concerns while an American drawdown is taking place. They have to step up to the plate if they want to be integrated into the region,” the US official told MEE.
Sharaa’s government is also in the process of hashing out a defence pact with Turkey, which has rattled Israel. MEE was the first to report that Turkey and Israel were entering deconfliction talks, which were encouraged by the US.
While the Trump administration has yet to move substantially in response to Sharaa’s balancing act, European countries have acted faster.
On Thursday, the UK announced it was lifting sanctions on Syria’s defence and interior ministries and a range of its intelligence agencies in a major move towards normalising ties with the new government.
Still, the decision is unlikely to have a major material impact without the US following suit.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
