The path of capitulation, “security coordination” and normalization for Syria is one doomed to failure. Not only is the glaring reality of an ever expanding Israeli occupation impossible to ignore, but Syria acts also as a key incubator for regional trends and resistance. Now, as Gaza endures genocide, Arab nations are being led down the path of humiliation, without even the pretense of strategic gain

As the old adage goes “history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes”. While most commentators who seek to analyze the predicament of Bilad al-Sham are offering mixed predictions about the future of the Syrian state, they often do so without any depth in a history that provides us with strong indications of what is to come.

Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara’a, is openly collaborating with the Israelis. He may not have signed a normalization agreement, yet he admits to joint “security” consultations, which Hebrew media outlet Yediot Aharonot revealed to be direct between Syrian and Israeli delegations. Al-Shara’a’s government also handed over the files and belongings of the most infamous Israeli spy in the Arab World, Eli Cohen.

According to Israeli media reports and American officials, the leadership in Damascus is engaged in normalization talks and has indicated its intent to proceed – aiming to please US President Donald Trump and potentially fulfill one of his key conditions for lifting sanctions.

This, of course, aligns with the statements from Syrian officials themselves: Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani referred to the Zionist Entity as a “proven fact” within a week of taking office, while the Mayor of Damascus openly called for normalization. Ahmed al-Shara’a acknowledged indirect negotiations - later revealed to have been direct as previously noted—while repeatedly emphasizing that the Israelis have 'shared enemies'."

Who are these “shared enemies”? And yet, it is precisely these so-called 'enemies' of al-Shara’a who happen to be the only forces that have meaningfully acted in defense of the people of Gaza amid an ongoing genocide. Yes, the enemies of al-Shara’a are the allies of the Palestinians - a reality that can no longer be obscured or denied."

We Have Short Memories

The histories of Syria and Palestine are inseparable, so are Lebanon and Jordan. While all the nations maintain unique markers and national identities, the shared history of the region is undeniable. 

Between Iraq and Egypt was the birthplace of Western civilization, then with the growth of Islam the region re-inherited its pivotal role in the creation of the modern world. 

Without delving too deeply into distant history, it is worth recalling that during the crusades, minorities were not spared by the occupiers and conquerors, despite the presence of collaborators from various communities across the region. Why? Because the goal of the invaders was to occupy, replace and destroy. These goals are diametrically opposed to liberation.

If we fast forward to the birth of the modern Nation State’s we see today, the fate of all the nations in the region were tied together and faced shared enemies with explicitly stated goals. When the General Syrian Congress (GSC) declared itself an independent Arab Kingdom, from Damascus, in 1920, it did so with parliamentary representatives from Palestine all the way south to Gaza. But the French occupiers would not allow this, nor would the British countenance it.

Despite some earlier indications of US support for the notion of an Arab State with democratic institutions in the Sham area, during the 1910’s, they quickly fell in line with the British and French. 

While today, many are quick to point fingers at minority communities inside Syria, they also forget the history that binds the majority Sunni population to its diverse set of countrymen. Specifically, when it comes to the Druze of Syria, how could anyone forget that it was Sultan al-Atrash who spearheaded the 1925 Great Syrian Revolt against French colonial rule?

As a result of the Nakba, some 750,000 Palestinians who were expelled from their lands by the Zionist Entity arrived primarily in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. One of the most well-known commanders and foundational military figure in the history of Arab nationalism was Fawzi Qawuqji, who not only fought the French in Syria, back in 1925, but also fought the British in Palestine during the 1935 Arab Revolt, and served as a major military figure in the Arab Liberation Army that battled the Zionist militias during the Nakba.

In 1949, independent Syria’s first President, Shukri al-Quwatli, was then overthrown by a CIA led military coup, plunging the fledgling nation into a nine-year-long period of constant revolution and changing of government. Despite posing no threat to “Israel” or Western interests at the time - as a newly born nation - was immediately targeted by the United States in an effort to assert its dominance over the country.

By 1958, Syria was on the verge of collapse and so it merged with Egypt to become part of the United Arab Republic - a union that ultimately failed and was undone by yet another coup. In 1963, the Ba’ath Party seized power military coup, only to be followed less than three years later by another military coup that ushered in the rule of President Salah Jadid. 

In 1967, the Israelis occupied the Golan Heights, in a war that no Arab country was prepared for, revealing the Zionist regime’s intentions all along: to seize more land and expand its occupying entity beyond the borders of historic Palestine.

Up until 1970, when Hafez al-Assad would came to power, the Israelis were constantly launching attacks against Syria from the Golan Heights area, they even placed their own Arab-Jewish settlers in the area, ensuring they would bear the brunt of any Syrian response - thereby further entrenching a narrative of fear and deepening the cycle of indoctrinated hatred. 

In 1973, al-Assad along with Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, launched the first ever Arab-initiated war against the Zionist regime, temporarily retaking the Golan Heights. Although relations between the Syrian government and Palestinian liberation movements were often ambivalent - shifting between alliance and hostility - Damascus continued to play a role in backing actions against the Israelis, who were still occupying its territory.

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On the other hand, Egypt normalized with the Israelis and regained the Sinai Peninsula. Yet, look at the Egyptian State today! Did Egyptian people truly reap the benefits of the billions in US aid provided to Cairo each year, the friendly relations with Europeans powers, and the government’s collaboration with the Zionists? 

Consider Iraq, led by a dictator who was initially aided into power by the CIA. Even Saddam Hussein was betrayed by the Americans – and when he pursued the path of backing the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), it only hastened his downfall.

The regime change in Iraq occurred just over two decades ago, and yet the reality of the U.S. invasion has already faded from public memory. Although a stiff resistance emerged against the American occupiers, it is often forgotten that many Iraqis initially welcomed the invasion - despite the immense bloodshed it would soon unleash.

In 2003, there were Iraqis who rode statues of Saddam Hussein down the streets of Baghdad, some even threw rice and flowers to US soldiers. This is all well documented. In December of 2024, with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Syrians - some of whom were even holding up photos of Saddam Hussein - tore down statues of Hafez al-Assad and rode them through the streets of Aleppo. 

With NATO’s backing, Muammar Ghaddafi was overthrown and ruthlessly murdered - an event that, too, was met with celebration. Ironically, toward the end of his rule, Gaddafi decided to reestablish ties with the West. And need we even mention what has become of Libya since 2011?

The point here is very simple. Mentioning this history does not make someone an apologist for any of the above-mentioned rulers, it is a demonstration of US imperialist policies and their results. Their goals have always been the same, to dominate the region and work alongside the Israelis to expand their occupation as a tool to subjugate the region.

“But Syria Is Different!”

Truthfully, Syria is different. Iraq, Libya, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt - all have their own distinct histories and realities. But what remains the same are the goals of the US, EU, the UK and the Israelis.

The people claiming that Syria is now free - while its officials in Damascus stand alongside US soldiers saluting an American flag being raised in their capital - are just as delusional as those who once watched US troops place their flag over Saddam Hussein’s statue and made the same claim.

There is no example of an Arab nation that normalized ties with "Israel" and ended up better off in the long run. Jordan and Egypt are prime examples of this reality. Yet, when Sudan was pressured into accepting Israeli normalization in exchange of the lifting U.S. sanctions, removing terrorist designations, clearing foreign debt, and receiving aid, did the country experience a positive transition? No. Instead, "Israel" attempted to play both sides at the beginning of the civil war that rages on until this day.

Some would then point to the UAE and Bahrain as examples of nations that have normalized relations and are doing well. While it is impossible to predict the ultimate outcomes of these deals, it is worth noting that both countries were already immensely wealthy in the first place and haven’t suddenly transformed as a result of their collaboration. 

Meanwhile, the Moroccan people have gained nothing from the normalization deal. In fact, the military collaboration between Tel Aviv and Rabat is now pushing Morocco further towards a conflict with its militarily superior neighbor Algeria. Moreover, the normalization deal led to the deterioration of its ceasefire with the Polisario Front over the Western Sahara region.

 “But Syria is different” we hear people say. Yes, it is. The Israeli occupying forces immediately launched the largest bombing operation to dismantle Syria’s strategic weapons: they are forcing a demilitarization of the south - in other words, they will only accept Syria as a country with no real army.

Syrian lands continue to be occupied, crucial water sources seized and a network of collaborators established. "Israel" illegally annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 and refuses to return it as part of any normalization deal. The only concessions they might consider would involve portions of southern Syria they have recently seized.

If the Syrian leadership continues to refuse to confront the Israeli occupation, they will have nothing to offer in exchange for normalization - meaning that they essentially give up everything for nothing. It’s as simple as that. This is of course, putting aside the fact that they would be a de-facto sponsor of the genocide in Gaza.

In the end, those Syrians who live in the south and will have to put up with the consequences of the Israeli occupation and aggression, will eventually fight back and form a resistance out of necessity.

If you want an example of what happens when you refuse to resist the Israelis, look no further than the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority recognized the Zionist Entity, it completely renounced armed struggle and worked with the Israelis on “security coordination” in order to combat resistance. Did the Israelis suddenly decide to grant them land or any concessions? It’s quite the opposite, they are building more and more settlements in preparation for annexation.

In Lebanon, there are now voices calling for Hezbollah’s weapons to be integrated into the national army. From the 2006 war until October 8, 2023, "Israel" refrained from aggressive actions against Lebanese territory, knowing that Hezbollah would fiercely resist. 

For the first time, in October 2022, the threat of Hezbollah’s resistance forced "Israel" to sign an agreement that demarcated maritime boundaries between occupied Palestine and Lebanon, granting Beirut’s rights to natural gas reserves.

Since the ceasefire in November 2024, the Lebanese Army has been given full authority over the defense of Lebanese territory. Yet it has not fired a single bullet at the Israelis, who continue to occupy positions in the south, raid border towns, and raise Israeli flags on Lebanese soil. The Zionist entity has violated the ceasefire more than 3,000 times – conducting routine airstrikes, flying drones over Beirut, bombing buildings in the capital with impunity, and acting without consequence.

When Hezbollah inevitably decides to put an end to the Israeli aggression, the same tired voices will again emerge to claim that it is destabilizing Lebanon and ignore all of the facts. 

Delusional and self-interested are accurate descriptions for those who believe Syria will suddenly be free by staying on its current path, or that the Zionist entity will have a change of heart and allow Syria to transform into a “new Singapore”. It is perfectly obvious what agendas of the US and Zionist regime are.

Syria’s enemies are not the same as those of the Israelis, because the enemies of the Israelis include the Syrians themselves, along with the Palestinians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Egyptians, Iraqis, and others. As a matter of fact, without freedom of Palestine, there can be no true freedom for Syria.