'Israel' rejects Golan discussions in normalization talks with Syria
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"Israel's" FM states the occupation is seeking to include Lebanon and Syria in the normalization accords, adding that the Golan Heights will remain part of "Israel" in any future peace agreement with Syria.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani (not pictured) hold a press conference at the end of their meeting in Rome, Italy, January 14, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ruled out any discussions about the Golan Heights with Syria as part of any future normalization agreement between Syria and "Israel".
Speaking alongside his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Sa’ar declared that in any potential "peace agreement" with Syria, “the Golan Heights will remain part of the State of Israel,” emphasizing that "Israel" annexed the Golan Heights more than four decades ago.
The Israeli FM stated that "Israel" "will welcome Syria to the normalization circle in the Middle East," though he avoided speculating on how soon the normalization might be achieved or whether Syria is a more likely candidate for a deal compared to Saudi Arabia.
He added that the occupation is interested in expanding the normalization accords' to include Lebanon and Syria.
The Foreign Minister's statements closely follow hints by officials that a meeting between the Syrian President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump could facilitate a meeting between al-Sharaa, Netanyahu
Following his recent meeting with Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, a prominent American Jewish leader, proposed that a direct encounter between the Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu could become possible if facilitated by US President Donald Trump.
“I think the only way that would be a quick way is if someone named Donald Trump calls two people, the Israeli prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) and the Syrian president, to come to Washington and sit for a few hours," the rabbi told the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN).
On June 29, Roi Sharon, a military analyst for the Israeli channel Kan 11, reported that Syria had expressed openness to a potential meeting between Netanyahu and al-Sharaa, which could take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Sharon noted that Damascus has set a withdrawal from southern Syria as its primary condition for engaging in dialogue with "Israel," while clarifying that the occupied Golan Heights is not currently part of the negotiation framework.
