Will Wonders Never Cease
A surprise shift? What Syria’s latest move could mean for peace with Israel
Syrian leader Ahmad a-Sharaa's reported openness to peace and joining the Abraham Accords could lead to a sea change in the region - if Israel agrees.
President Donald Trump's meeting this week with Syrian President Ahmad a-Sharaa, the first such meeting between a US and Syrian leader in 25 years, has many thinking peace might be possible between Israel and Syria.
Kann reporter Roi Kais spoke with Syrian Spokesperson Ali al-Rifai on the matter, and he said that Syria wants peace with everyone, "without exception" and does not want war.
Trump reported that a-Sharaa responded positively to the idea of Syria joining the Abraham Accords, and Syrians are ecstatic at the removal of sanctions on the country allowing their economy to thrive again.
Israel, however, remains very skeptical. They reportedly asked Trump not to remove the sanctions yet and were rebuffed, and Netanyahu, Katz, and Sa'ar have all said that they don't consider the situation in Syria "stable" enough to consider withdrawing the IDF forces on the other side of the border.
Despite his moderate talk and actions, a-Sharaa still comes from a fundamentalist Islamist background, of the sort that is inherently hostile to Israel and a source of motivation for terrorism.