Sharaa in First Interview with Jewish Newspaper: Stable Syria Will Not be Built Through Speeches, Slogans

Asharq Al-Awsat

2 days ago

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa broke all barriers that surrounded ousted President Bashar al-Assad, when he spoke last week about his responsibilities and about Syria's domestic and foreign policy.
He is direct in addressing taboo issues that were previously tackled with slogans in public and a different reality under the table, such as Syria's relationship with Israel and the latter's occupation of Syrian territory.
Legacy of Assad Regime
The last barrier Sharaa broke was an interview he made with a Jewish newspaper, the first since assuming power six months ago. The article, written by Jonathan Bass, was published by the Jewish Journal on May 28.
'Many Syrians see Sharaa not as a revolutionary but as a restorer, someone capable of stitching together a nation fatigued by war and fractured by identity. It is perhaps his very ordinariness, his refusal to play the strongman, despite his extremist former life, that makes him a man of the hour,' the Journal wrote.
Bass said the Syrian President carries himself with quiet conviction. 'Sharaa is soft-spoken, but every word lands with deliberation. There is no triumph in his voice, only urgency,' he wrote.
In the interview, Sharaa said, 'We have inherited more than ruins,' he said. 'We've inherited trauma, mistrust, and fatigue. But we have also inherited hope. Fragile, yes, but real.'
For decades, Syria was ruled by a regime that confused loyalty with silence, coexistence with hate, and stability with suppression.
The Assad dynasty, first Hafez and then Bashar, ruled with an iron grip, using fear and executions to cement control, while the country's institutions withered and dissent turned deadly.
Bass said Sharaa is clear-eyed about the legacy he inherits.
'It would be dishonest to speak of a clean slate,' Sharaa said. 'The past is present, in the eyes of every person, on every street, in every family. But our duty now is not to repeat it. Not even as a softer version. We must create something entirely new.'
Trust of Syrians
According to Bass, Sharaa's early moves have been cautious, yet deeply symbolic.
'He has ordered the release of political prisoners, initiated dialogue with opposition groups once exiled or silenced, and pledged to reform Syria's notorious security apparatus,' he wrote at the Jewish Journal.
'His vision is that of a vibrant, multicultural, and pluralistic society. He supports the right of return for all Syrians whose assets were seized under the Assad regime,' Bass added.
'To uncover the truth behind Syria's mass graves, Sharaa recognizes the need for partnership with the United States to provide forensic technology and equipment, from establishing DNA databases to securing cooperation from those responsible for past atrocities,' the journalist wrote.
Sharaa told the Journal, 'If I am the only one speaking, then Syria has learned nothing. We are inviting all voices to the table, secular, religious, tribal, academic, rural, and urban. The state must listen now more than it commands.'
But will people trust again? Will they believe the promises of a government that rises from the ashes of dictatorship?
'I don't ask for trust,' he replied. 'I ask for patience and for scrutiny. Hold me accountable. Hold this process accountable. That is how trust will come.'
When Bass asked the president what Syrians most need right now, he answered without hesitation: 'Dignity through work. Peace through purpose.'
In towns emptied by war and villages still scarred by conflict, the cry is not for politics but for normalcy, the chance to rebuild homes, raise children, and earn a living in peace.
Sharaa knows this, Bass wrote. He is pushing for emergency economic programs focused on job creation in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and public services.
'It's not about ideology anymore,' Sharaa told the Journal. 'It's about giving people a reason to stay, a reason to live, and a reason to believe.'
The Syrian President said, 'Every young man with a job is one less soul at risk of radicalization. Every child in school is a vote for the future.'
He then emphasized partnerships with regional investors, microenterprise grants for returnees, and vocational training for youth who have known nothing but war.
'A stable Syria will not be built through speeches or slogans, it will be built through action: in the marketplace, in classrooms, on farms, and in workshops. We will rebuild supply chains. Syria will return as a hub for trade and commerce.'
Relations with Israel
Bass wrote there's a deeper insight behind Sharaa's economic vision: after a generation of loss, Syrians are tired of conflict. They crave peace, not just the absence of war, but the presence of opportunity.
In one of the more delicate parts of our conversation, Sharaa addressed Syria's future relationship with Israel - a subject that has haunted the region since 1948 and intensified with each airstrike, covert operation, and accusation of proxy warfare.
'I want to be clear,' Sharaa said. 'The era of endless tit-for-tat bombings must end. No nation prospers when its skies are filled with fear. The reality is, we have common enemies, and we can play a major role in regional security.'
He expressed a desire to return to the spirit of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement not merely as a ceasefire line, but as the foundation for mutual restraint and protection of civilians, especially the Druze communities in southern Syria and the Golan Heights.
'Syria's Druze are not pawns,' he said. 'They are citizens, deeply rooted, historically loyal, and deserving of every protection under the law. Their safety is non-negotiable.'
While he stopped short of proposing immediate normalization, Sharaa signaled openness to future talks grounded in international law and sovereignty.
Trump: Man of Peace
Perhaps most notably, Sharaa voiced a bold diplomatic overture: his desire to sit down directly with former US President Donald Trump, Bass wrote.
'However the media portrays him,' Sharaa said, 'I see him as a man of peace. We've both been shot at by the same enemy. Trump understands leverage, strength, and outcomes. Syria needs an honest broker who can reset the conversation. If there is a possibility of alignment that helps bring stability to the region - and security to the US and its allies- I am ready to have that conversation. He is the only man capable of fixing this region, bringing us together, one brick at a time.'
Commenting on Sharaa's statement, Bass said it was 'striking', not just for its candor, but for what it implied: the new Syria is not afraid to make unconventional moves in pursuit of peace and recognition.
Sharaa does not sugarcoat Syria's challenges: more than a million dead in mass graves, 12 million displaced, an economy on life support, sanctions still in place, and rival militias entrenched in the north.
'This is not a fairy tale,' he said. 'It is a recovery. And recoveries are painful.'