Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has expressed interest in establishing peaceful relations with Israel, according to U
S.
Congressman Cory Mills, who met with him in Syria last week.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Mills said Sharaa wants, “under the right conditions,” for Syria to join the Abraham Accords, a set of peace agreements between Israel and countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco negotiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Sharaa, who took power after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in December, is trying to persuade the United States and Europe to lift economic sanctions on Syria.
Those sanctions have made it harder for the country, which has suffered from more than a decade of civil war, to rebuild.
During the meeting with Mills, Sharaa discussed the possibility of clarifying how he will deal with foreign armed groups still present in Syria and offering assurances to Israel, which is wary of the new Syrian leader.
Visit by US lawmakers to Syria
Mills, who serves on the US House foreign affairs and defense committees, and Congressman Marlin Stutzman traveled to Damascus, the capital of Syria, on Friday.
It was the first visit by US lawmakers to the country since Assad’s fall.
They met with Sharaa, who still faces US and UN sanctions over his past ties to the terrorist group al-Qaeda, and discussed issues including US sanctions and Iran’s influence in the region.
Mills said he would take a letter from Sharaa to Trump, but did not reveal its contents.
He also said he would update Trump and national security adviser Mike Waltz on the trip.
“I am cautiously optimistic and intend to keep the dialogue open,” Mills said.
The Republican lawmakers visited war-torn areas of Damascus, spoke with Christian religious leaders and planned meetings with other members of the Syrian government.
Stutzman stressed the importance of seizing the opportunity to prevent Syria from moving closer to countries such as China, Russia or Iran.
“I don’t want Syria to fall into the hands of these countries,” he told Reuters news agency.
US conditions for sanctions relief
The United States has presented Syria with a list of conditions for partial sanctions relief, including the removal of foreign fighters from leadership positions, the destruction of chemical weapons and cooperation in combating terrorism.
In exchange, the United States could offer temporary sanctions relief, such as allowing transactions with Syrian institutions for two years and issuing a statement supporting Syria’s territorial integrity, according to Reuters.
Distrust of Israel
Israel, which has continued airstrikes against military targets in Syria and has sent troops to a safe zone in the south of the country, is suspicious of Sharaa and his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has been linked to al-Qaeda.
The Israeli government also opposes the lifting of sanctions against Syria and wants to prevent the country from being controlled by a hostile regime.
In an interview with The Economist in February, Sharaa said he would not rule out normalization with other countries in the region, but stressed that relations with Israel are complicated due to past wars and Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights since 1967.
“We entered Damascus only two months ago, and we have many priorities.
It is too early to discuss this, because it requires public debate and changes in the laws,” he said.
What the experts say
Carmit Valensi, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, was not surprised by Sharaa’s interest in the Abraham Accords.
She noted that the Syrian leader has taken a cautious stance toward Israel, avoiding confrontation despite Israeli military actions in Syria.
“Sharaa has expressed an interest in peace with his neighbors and does not want conflict with Israel,” Valensi told The Times of Israel.
The Abraham Accords and the future
Trump, who has returned to the US presidency, has promised to expand the Abraham Accords to include more countries.
He has said that “many countries want to participate” and suggested that the accords could even be worth a Nobel Peace Prize.
Valensi believes that Sharaa faces domestic criticism for his more moderate stance, and the question now is what the “right conditions” he mentioned would be.
These conditions can range from simple requests, such as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Syria, to more complex demands, such as changes in control of the Golan Heights.
Palestinian media recently reported that the Syrian government arrested two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which could be a sign that Sharaa is taking steps to show commitment to regional security.
However, Syrian authorities have not confirmed the arrests.
Conclusion
Syria, under Sharaa, is seeking to rebuild its economy and improve its international relations, including the possibility of peace with Israel.
However, Israel’s distrust, international sanctions and internal challenges make this path complex.
Sharaa’s stance will be closely watched, especially to understand whether his intentions can transform the relationship between Syria and Israel and bring stability to the region.
Published in 04/25/2025 01h21
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
Reference article:
| Geoprocessing Drone Systems HPC |
| ERP and CRM Systems Mobile Systems AI |