‘Positive and very promising’: First face-to-face Israel-Syria talks progressing

According to Prof. Eyal Zisser, the talks are a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

In a bid to calm tensions, Israel and Syria have been holding face-to-face talks, the first direct contact between the two countries, it was reported on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, sources said several rounds of dialogue have taken place, led by Ahmad al-Dalati, a security official who was appointed governor of the Quneitra province, which borders Israel.

Dalati was also recently tasked with overseeing security in the southern province of Suweida, which has a significant Druze population. Reuters added that Israel is being represented by two unnamed security officials.

Israeli officials have not commented on the report.

According to Prof. Eyal Zisser, the talks are a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14.

“Israeli policy towards Syria has proven to be a total failure. All these declarations to help the Druze, we won’t allow this, we won’t allow that, said Zisser, who is Chair of Tel Aviv University’s Department for Middle Eastern and African History.

“And then Trump came and showed everyone he’s the boss. And the boss said Sharaa is a nice guy, you should deal with him, he’s taking control over Syria. Israel was left with no option,” Zisser told TPS-IL.

“What Trump did was send a very clear message to ‘stop your stupid policy and start to behave.’”

Since the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1974, efforts to bring Israeli-Syrian peace were indirect, addressing tactical issues through the mediation of a ceasefire committee headed by the United Nations, Zisser explained.

Asked about the likely outcome of the talks, Zisser said, “The situation along the border will remain quiet and maybe the two sides will reach deeper and wider understandings for security along the border and coordination. This is a very positive and very promising.”

However, he cautioned, “People do not always have control on the ground. And the situation cannot continue forever. Syria wants Israel to withdraw from its territory. They won’t accept the status quo forever. And they want us to come back to the 1974 border.”

Sectarian tensions in Syria are high as Islamic gunmen linked to Sharaa’s regime killed around 100 Druze in clashes. In a bid to protect the Druze, Israel launched warning strikes on Syria and threatened to hit targets belonging to the Turkish-backed regime.

Israel’s Druze community of 152,000 has been calling on the government to take stronger measures to protect their co-religionists in southern Syria.

Around 40,000 Druze live in the southern Syrian provinces of Quneitra, Da’ara and Sweida under Israeli protection. Netanyahu has called for the demilitarization of southern Syria.

The Druze trace their ancestry back to the Biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses.

In Israel, the Druze serve in senior positions in public and military life, and the bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is referred to as the “covenant of blood.” The Druze speak Arabic but are not Muslim.

Israel sent forces into the 235 sq km buffer zone to prevent Syrian rebels from approaching the border when the regime of Bashar Assad collapsed in December.

Israel also launched waves of airstrikes on Syrian army assets and Iranian stockpiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of radical Islamists.

While Israeli forces have briefly entered the buffer zone in the past, December’s takeover marked the first time since its establishment that the IDF set up positions there.

The demilitarized zone was established with a ceasefire in 1974 that ended the Yom Kippur War.

Israel considers the 1974 ceasefire agreement void until order is restored in Syria.