Syrian sources reject normalization talks with 'Israel' as premature
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Syrian officials deny rumors of a possible normalization deal with "Israel", stressing that no talks can occur without Israeli occupation forces withdrawing in line with the 1974 disengagement agreement.
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Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, listens during a press conference in Paris, May 7, 2025 (AP)
Syrian official news outlets have asserted, citing official sources, that talks regarding any normalization deals between Damascus and "Israel" are premature, in response to recent reports rumoring the possibility of such a deal.
Remarks about signing a "peace agreement" with the Israeli occupation are considered premature and should not be seen as reflecting a finalized decision or a shift in policy, according to an official source cited by Syrian state-run channel Al-Ikhbariyah.
The channel emphasized, citing the same official source, that any discussion of possible negotiations cannot take place unless the Israeli occupation first abides by the 1974 disengagement agreement and withdraws from the areas it has advanced into since the fall of the previous regime on December 8, 2024.
Previously, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar ruled out the possibility of any discussions regarding the Golan Heights being included in future normalization talks between Syria and "Israel".
The Israeli foreign minister expressed openness to the idea of Syria eventually joining the wave of normalization in the Middle East while refraining from making predictions about the timeline or indicating whether Syria stands a better chance of reaching such an agreement than Saudi Arabia.
This closely follows reports about a potential meeting between Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Trump having a potential role in facilitating such a meeting.
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.
