Syrian Kurds face 30-day ultimatum from US and Turkey
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement in March with Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, outlining the full merger of the SDF and its agencies into the Damascus government.
However, progress has stalled as the SDF and other Kurdish groups have demanded autonomy and resisted merging under the Syrian Defense Ministry, insisting on retaining a separate military command and organisational structure within the Syrian army.
American and Turkish patience is wearing thin, sources told MEE. During a meeting in Syria last week, US and Turkish officials gave the SDF a 30-day ultimatum to join the Damascus government.
'The SDF was told that not all of its armed units would be integrated into the Syrian army. Units excluded from integration would be disarmed, and overall control would remain with the Syrian government,' one source said.
The Damascus government reportedly shows little interest in incorporating the SDF's all-women units, known as the YPJ - an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - into its ranks.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Thomas Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, has made it clear in several interviews and statements this month that Washington opposes such demands and favours a unified Syria with one nation, one military, and one state.
Earlier this month, the SDF delegation held talks with Syrian government officials, as well as American and French representatives. The discussions, however, yielded no breakthrough.
After the meeting, Barrack told journalists in New York: 'We'll bring you together, we'll arbitrate, we'll mediate, we'll help, but we're not going to stick around.
"If you guys don't agree, then don't agree, but we're not going to be here forever as the babysitter and the mediator," he said.
Barrack also warned the SDF that failure to reach an agreement with Damascus could result in "other alternatives".
Turkish officials at the meeting held in Damascus last week emphasised that the SDF should not exploit the goodwill of Damascus, Ankara and Washington by prolonging negotiations and stalling for time.
Sweida raises stakes
Recent Israeli air strikes in Damascus, prompted by clashes in Sweida between Bedouins and Druze, have heightened tensions in Ankara.
Turkish government sources worry that Israeli intervention could embolden the SDF to persist in its demands for autonomy, particularly as Damascus appears ineffective in resolving the conflict and faces accusations of crimes against the Druze minority.
Nevertheless, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that his government fully supports al-Sharaa's administration and would not allow Syria to be partitioned.
Turkey doesn't have many options against Israel in Syria Read More »
Over the weekend, Erdogan told journalists during a visit to Northern Cyprus that al-Sharaa's firm stance on Sweida should serve as a clear message to the SDF that there will be no compromise on disarmament talks.
In last week's meeting, Turkish officials requested that the YPG provide information on tunnel networks along the Turkish border and weapons depots established in civilian areas, according to the same sources speaking to MEE.
Middle East Eye has asked the Turkish government for comment.
Barrack, who spoke to SDF leader Mazloum Abdi over the weekend, said this week that he does not believe the violence in Sweida will derail talks and that there could be a breakthrough "in the coming weeks".
A US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with government protocol, said that while they could not discuss specifics of private diplomatic conversations, the integration talks between the SDF and the Syrian government remain ongoing and active.
'We support the continuation of these discussions as the best way to resolve any outstanding issues,' the official said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
41 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Netanyahu slammed for joking about fast food on Nelk Boys podcast as Gaza starves
The Full Send Podcast is facing intense backlash on social media and has lost over 10,000 subscribers in less than a day after publishing an hour-long interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 21 July. The podcast, hosted by Kyle Forgeard and Aaron Steinberg of the Nelk Boys - a Canadian-American influencer collective known for its conservative-leaning content - is particularly popular among young men. The interview, which starts with Netanyahu praising US President Donald Trump and their "decades-long" friendship, quickly shifts to Netanyahu expressing alarm over shifting attitudes among young Americans towards Israel. "I'm concerned that the young people in America are getting the wrong picture of Israel," he says. He goes on to justify his podcast appearance as part of a broader image campaign: "The only way you can fight lies is with the truth. And you have to tell it as often and as intensely as the lies that are leveled against you... I'm doing this podcast among other things to reach young people." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As reports from humanitarian groups were confirming that children are dying of starvation in Gaza, Netanyahu appeared on the podcast to crack jokes about his longtime love of fast food: "I was a junk food junkie for many years," he said with a chuckle. 'Out of touch' He then went on to reminisce about an occasional visit to the US with his wife Sarah, saying: "You know what the first thing we did was? McDonald's. And to be honest, Burger King. I like Burger King more." The casual tone and detachment from the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza drew swift condemnation online. "As Gaza starves, Netanyahu jokes about McDonald's with 'manosphere' podcasters Nelk Boys. What a genocidal disgusting piece of shit," one user wrote on X. Children in Gaza show signs of malnutrition and abuse after detention in Israel Read More » "Imaging being the Nelk Boys [right now] total idiots. full access to Netanyahu, and the hardest hitting question they ask is 'do you prefer Burger King or McDonalds?' while Netanyahu starves an entire population," another user posted. In a tweet on X, One Path Network accused the Nelk Boys of helping to polish Netanyahu's image. "The Nelk Boys had an opportunity to challenge power, to ask about the siege, the bombings, the starvation. Instead, they offered him fries. In doing so, they helped launder the image of a man overseeing one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time." Others said the interview was "the most out-of-touch interview", as Netanyahu shared how he enjoys eating burgers with Trump. "When President Trump comes to Israel. And then we have dinner, we bring this chef, he's like a very good chef. And he gives a seven-course dinner. Telling you, seven-course, it's the longest dinner I've ever had. And you know in this fancy plate he brings up this dressed up hamburger and I look at Trump and he looks at me. Finally we had what we wanted. We got the hamburger, you know," Netanyahu said. "the normalization of Netanyahu, the constant whitewashing of Israel's alleged war crimes... is why a man who has blood dripping from his be invited on to the Nelk Boys' highly influential podcast to jokes about whether he prefers McDonald's or Burger King." — Mobeen Hussain (@amhuss27) July 25, 2025 Scripted The interview also drew sharp backlash for a series of inflammatory remarks made by Netanyahu. Many were outraged by his description of women in Gaza, which he called as "property" during the podcast. "You know what the women in Gaza are? They're property. They're nothing. They have no rights. They're completely subjugated, and God forbid they're executed anytime they commit a so-called offense," he added. Some called the comments "disgusting" while another pointed out the irony. "Claiming to care about the rights of women in Gaza while bombing their homes, starving their children, and denying them access to healthcare and safety. There is no feminism in occupation. You can't liberate women by killing them." The final wave of backlash turned directly towards the Nelk Boys themselves, after a video clip went viral in which they admitted that the interview script had been written and provided by the White House - with no room for edits or input. Nelk boy admits he was given a "script" with questions to ask Netanyahu. This is idiot just confirmed they were doing straight propaganda for Israel — YeetTheRich_ (@_Yeet_The_Rich_) July 23, 2025 The revelation only intensified criticism that the entire episode is "sickening propoganda" that was orchestrated rather than a genuine conversation. "Why the actual FUCK is it not a bigger story that the White House Communications Team setup an interview with Benjamin Netanyahu and the fucking Nelk Boys? What in the name of propaganda is going on here?" asked a user. The Nelk Boys have confirmed that their softball interview with Benjamin Netanyahu was largely scripted as the PM's team had handed them "a paper with questions to ask" in advance. They also revealed the interview was set up by the White House. — Furkan Gözükara (@GozukaraFurkan) July 23, 2025 One person pointed out that the episode was a confirmation of what many had already suspected: "Now it's 100% proof that Netanyahu did this interview only to push propaganda and to try to humanize himself while he commits a genocide." Some called the Nelk Boys "puppets", while many also highlighted the fact that the Nelk Boys were unable to push back with Netanyahu throughout the hour-long interview. "The nelk boys were misinformed and unable to pushback to anything netanyahu said, making it easy for him to spew pure bs propaganda to a largely misinformed younger [audience]," one user wrote. "You guys didn't question him once, this is crazy," another added in the comments on YouTube. The Nelk Boys' YouTube channel lost over 10,000 subscribers within 24 hours of the episode's release on 21 July. The interview also received more dislikes than likes before the group disabled the visibility of the dislike count on the video.
Gulf Today
an hour ago
- Gulf Today
No proof Hamas stole Gaza aid, says USAID analysis
An internal US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the US give for backing a new armed private aid operation. The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development and completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies reported by US aid partner organisations between October 2023 and this May. It found "no reports alleging Hamas' benefited from US-funded supplies, according to a slide presentation of the findings seen by Reuters. Disputing the statement A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid, but provided no such videos. The spokesperson also accused traditional humanitarian groups of covering up "aid corruption." The sons of Palestinian journalist Adam Abu Harbid, killed in overnight Israeli strikes, mourn before their father's funeral at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Thursday. AFP The findings were shared with the USAID's inspector general's office and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy, said two sources familiar with the matter, and come as dire food shortages deepen in the devastated enclave. Israel says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas, which it blames for the crisis. The UN World Food Programme says nearly a quarter of Gaza's 2.1 million Palestinians face famine-like conditions, thousands are suffering acute malnutrition, and the World Health Organization and doctors in the enclave report starvation deaths of children and others. The UN also estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food supplies, the majority near the militarised distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new private aid group that uses a for-profit US logistics firm run by a former CIA officer and armed US military veterans. Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian journalist, Adam Abu Harbid, killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Friday. Reuters The study was conducted by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) of USAID, which was the largest funder of assistance to Gaza before the Trump administration froze all US foreign aid in January, terminating thousands of programmes. It has also begun dismantling USAID, whose functions have been folded into the State Department. The analysis found that at least 44 of the 156 incidents where aid supplies were reported stolen or lost were "either directly or indirectly' due to Israeli military actions, according to the briefing slides. Israel's military did not respond to questions about those findings. The study noted a limitation: because Palestinians who receive aid cannot be vetted, it was possible that US-funded supplies went to administrative officials of Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza. Windows of the shuttered former offices of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington. Reuters One source familiar with the study also cautioned that the absence of reports of widespread aid diversion by Hamas "does not mean that diversion has not occurred.' The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli assault began, according to Palestinian health officials. Hamas steals aid to boost its finances, says Israel Israel, which controls access to Gaza, has said that Hamas steals food supplies from UN and other organizations to use to control the civilian population and boost its finances, including by jacking up the prices of the goods and reselling them to civilians. Asked about the USAID report, the Israeli military told Reuters that its allegations are based on intelligence reports that Hamas militants seized cargoes by "both covertly and overtly" embedding themselves on aid trucks. Those reports also show that Hamas has diverted up to 25% of aid supplies to its fighters or sold them to civilians, the Israeli military said, adding that GHF has ended the militants' control of aid by distributing it directly to civilians. Hamas denies the allegations. A Hamas security official said that Israel has killed more than 800 Hamas-affiliated police and security guards trying to protect aid vehicles and convoy routes. Their missions were coordinated with the UN. A man waves a Palestinian flag during the protest 'Global Pot-Banging for Gaza' in Guadalajara, Mexico on Thursday. AFP Reuters could not independently verify the claims by Hamas and Israel, which has not made public proof that the militants have systematically stolen aid. GHF also accuses Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model. The UN and other groups have rejected calls by GHF, Israel and the US to cooperate with the foundation, saying it violates international humanitarian principles of neutrality. In response to a request for comment, GHF referred Reuters to a July 2 Washington Post article that quoted an unidentified Gazan and anonymous Israeli officials as saying Hamas profited from the sales and taxing of pilfered humanitarian aid. Aid groups must report losses The 156 reports of theft or losses of supplies reviewed by BHA were filed by UN agencies and other humanitarian groups working in Gaza as a condition of receiving US aid funds. The second source familiar with the matter said that after receiving reports of US-funded aid thefts or losses, USAID staff followed up with partner organizations to try to determine if there was Hamas involvement. Those organizations also would "redirect or pause" aid distributions if they learned that Hamas was in the vicinity, the source said. Aid organizations working in Gaza also are required to vet their personnel, sub-contractors and suppliers for ties to extremist groups before receiving US funds, a condition that the State Department waived in approving $30 million for GHF last month. The slide presentation noted that USAID partners tended to over-report aid diversion and theft by groups sanctioned or designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations - such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - because they want to avoid losing U.S. funding. Of the 156 incidents of loss or theft reported, 63 were attributed to unknown perpetrators, 35 to armed actors, 25 to unarmed people, 11 directly to Israeli military action, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, five to aid group personnel "engaging in corrupt activities,' and six to "others," a category that accounted for "commodities stolen in unknown circumstances,' according to the slide presentation. The armed actors "included gangs and other miscellaneous individuals who may have had weapons,' said a slide. Another slide said "a review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with" US-designated foreign terrorist organizations, of which Hamas is one. "The majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor,' said another slide. "Partners often largely discovered the commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator.' It is possible there were classified intelligence reports on Hamas aid thefts, but BHA staff lost access to classified systems in the dismantlement of USAID, said a slide. However, a source familiar with US intelligence assessments told Reuters that they knew of no US intelligence reports detailing Hamas aid diversions and that Washington was relying on Israeli reports. The BHA analysis found that the Israeli military "directly or indirectly caused' a total of 44 incidents in which US-funded aid was lost or stolen. Those included the 11 attributed to direct Israeli military actions, such as airstrikes or orders to Palestinians to evacuate areas of the war-torn enclave. Losses indirectly attributed to Israeli military included cases where they compelled aid groups to use delivery routes with high risks of theft or looting, ignoring requests for alternative routes, the analysis said. Reuters
TAG 91.1
2 hours ago
- TAG 91.1
UAE welcomes France's move to recognise State of Palestine
The UAE has welcomed France's announcement of its intention to recognise the State of Palestine. His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, praised French President Emmanuel Macron's statement, calling it an important step toward advancing a two-state solution and achieving lasting peace in the region. Sheikh Abdullah emphasised that this move comes at a crucial moment, and urged the international community to fulfill its responsibilities by reviving the political process and working toward an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He also reaffirmed the UAE's firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent, sovereign state in line with international law and UN resolutions. The UAE remains committed to collaborating with regional and global partners to build a just and sustainable solution that ensures long-term peace and stability in the region. Abdullah bin Zayed Welcomes France's Announcement on Intention to Recognize the State of Palestine, Reaffirms Commitment to Supporting the Legitimate Rights of the Palestinian People — MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) July 25, 2025
