Israel seeks diplomatic ties with longtime enemies Syria and Lebanon, however is not going to talk about ceding the Golan Heights in any peace deal, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated Monday.
Israeli leaders argue that with its rival Iran weakened by this month’s 12-day battle, different international locations within the area have a chance to forge ties with Israel.
Relations within the area have been thrown into uncertainty by greater than a yr of combating between Israel and Lebanon from late 2023, in parallel to Israel’s battle on Gaza and by the overthrow of former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December 2024.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco grew to become the primary Arab states to determine ties with Israel since Jordan in 1994 and Egypt in 1979. The normalisation agreements with Israel have been deeply unpopular within the Arab world.
“We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbours, to the circle of peace and normalisation, while safeguarding Israel’s essential and security interests,” Saar stated at a press convention in Jerusalem.
“The Golan will remain part of the State of Israel”, he stated.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 after capturing the territory from Syria through the 1967 Six-Day War.
While a lot of the worldwide group regards the Golan as occupied Syrian land, U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over it throughout his first time period in workplace.
A senior Syrian official, talking on situation of anonymity, stated Syria would by no means hand over the Golan Heights, describing it as an integral a part of Syrian territory.
The official additionally stated that normalization efforts with Israel have to be a part of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and never carried out by means of a separate observe.
A spokesperson for Syria’s Foreign Ministry didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.
The 2002 initiative proposed Arab normalization with Israel in change for its withdrawal from occupied territories, together with the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and Gaza.
It additionally referred to as for the institution of an impartial Palestinian state with East Jerusalem, which Israel additionally captured in 1967, as its capital.
Throughout the battle in Gaza, regional energy Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stated that establishing ties with Israel was conditional on the creation of an impartial Palestinian state.
Israel’s Saar stated it was “not constructive” for different states to situation normalization on Palestinian statehood.
“Our view is that a Palestinian state will threaten the security of the State of Israel,” he stated.
In May, Reuters reported that Israel and Syria’s new authorities have been in direct contact and had held face-to-face conferences aimed toward calming tensions and stopping battle within the border area between the enemies.
U.S. President Donald Trump met Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia in the identical month and urged him to normalize ties with Israel, making a shock announcement that the U.S. would elevate all sanctions on the interim authorities.
Source: www.dailysabah.com