PA's Abbas makes first visit to Syria in 16 years, meets al-Sharaa

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
18 Apr 2025 22:04

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets Ahmad al-Sharaa to discuss bilateral ties and shared threats, as UNRWA reports continued displacement of Palestinian refugees.

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a conference at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 12, 2023 (AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday, marking his first visit to Syria in over 16 years, a significant step toward reestablishing political ties between the Palestinian Authority and Syria.

According to a Syrian government source, the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations and addressing what they described as common “threats” facing both nations.

The meeting signals a potential thaw in relations, which had remained distant since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011.

Abbas last visited Syria in 2009, when he met with then-President Bashar al-Assad. His return comes at a time of renewed regional diplomacy and follows his encounter with al-Sharaa during an Arab summit in March, where world leaders convened to discuss joint efforts to rebuild the devastated Gaza Strip.

Focus on displaced Palestinian refugees in Syria

The visit also comes amid growing concern over the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria.

Before the conflict, approximately 560,000 Palestinians were registered in the country, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Today, around 438,000 remain, with nearly 40 percent of them internally displaced.

Syria, Palestine both under occupation

This also comes amid intensifying Israeli aggression on Syria, while the genocide in Gaza and war on the West Bank continue.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, the Israeli offensive intensified, with occupation forces expanding their incursions into Syrian territory beyond the demilitarized zone.

"Israel" has seized control of approximately 95% of Quneitra province and large parts of western Daraa’s countryside, including the Yarmouk Basin. Additionally, the occupation has established several military positions in strategic locations, such as the slopes of Mount Hermon, granting its forces direct fire control over Daraa, Quneitra, and the Damascus countryside.

Earlier this month, the Israeli military brought bulldozers and engineering equipment near Wadi Koayiah in western Daraa countryside, amid reports about plans to dig trenches and erect a security fence deep within the valley to prevent farmers from accessing their lands, local sources in Syria told Al Mayadeen.

This move coincides with information reported by The Times of Israel about an Israeli project to extend a security fence starting from southern Golan and running along the Jordanian border.