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Gulf Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
There is widespead concern that Syria might break up
The ceasefire brokered by the US, Turkey, and Jordan appears to have ended a week of violence in Syria's southern province of Sweida where Druze militiamen battled Sunni Bedouin tribesmen bolstered by Sunni factional militiamen from elsewhere. Clashes erupted on the 13th following the Bedouin kidnapping of a Druze merchant travelling to Damascus. The number of people killed in Sweida is 940, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and scores were injured. When the Syrian army began to intervene mid-week, Israel bombed the defence ministry in Damascus, fired missiles near the presidential palace and struck Syrian troops entering Sweida. Israel's involvement was not welcomed by Arab, Turkish and US mediators. Even Donald Trump expressed rare criticism of Israel. Syrian Druze constitute the largest Druze community in the world and the third largest minority in that country. The monotheistic faith evolved from Shiism in the 11th century and has long been a separate religion. As Druze have been persecuted for centuries, they have, as a matter of survival, adopted the practice of taqiya, dissimulation, by appearing to merge with the local population while remaining Druze. Druze number about 700,000 and constitute about 3 per cent of Syria's population. While they are concentrated in the Druze majority province of Sweida, Druze have also settled around Damascus and elsewhere in the country. About 300,000 Druze live in Lebanon and a small number in Jordan. The Druze have played important roles in the independence struggles of both Syria and Lebanon and have assumed active political careers in these states since then. Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt has followed the example of his father and acted as a kingmaker in Lebanon. Respected as a voice for Druze in the region, he condemned Israel's intervention in Sweida and convened a meeting of Lebanese Druze leaders with the aim of countering possible spillover of Syrian Druze-Sunni violence. Another prominent Arab Druze, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, joined his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to demand an urgent end to Israel's involvement. While Syrian Druze and Bedouin have sparred for decades, the latest bout of violence did not begin as a sectarian confrontation but over farmland, a traditional issue. After Bashar al-Assad assumed power in 2000, the government initiated economic and agricultural reforms. Farm subsidies were gradually withdrawn and restrictions on water usage and land access were imposed. While Druze villagers protested Bedouin farmers did not, generating hostility against their community. However, Druze and Bedouin farmers came together to protest over neglect by the government due to the lack of services and security. Following Assad 's ouster in December last year, Druze have been divided over their approach to the Sunni fundamentalist Hay 'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government. Some Druze factions have tried to negotiate a new relationship with Damascus, others resist merging their militias with the country's armed forces, and many reject the presence of Syrian security personnel and soldiers in Sweida. Meanwhile, Druze and Bedouin antagonism to the government increased. Bedouin were angered by the appointment of Druze Amjad Bahr as agriculture minister, while Druze did not see this as providing them with sufficient influence in Damascus. In the absence of firm state control since the takeover by HTS under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, there have been frequent clashes between Bedouin and Druze, who insist that Sweida must enjoy autonomy, and security must be provided by Druze militia factions — both demands rejected by Bedouin. Syria's southernmost, Sweida is a strategic province with a population of 540,400, 91 per cent Druze, according to the UN. The Druze demand for autonomy amounts to a major challenge to the government at a time the northeast, 25 per cent of Syrian territory, is ruled by Syrian Kurds who also seek self-rule within Syria. There is concern that Syria — which with Iraq makes up the Eastern Arab heartland — could fracture. This has been the goal of Israel since its creation by war 77 years ago. In a bid to weaken Damascus grip on Syrian territory, Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has warned against deploying the Syrian army in the southern border regions. Last December, Israeli troops invaded and occupied the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 agreement with Syria. Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967 and annexed the territory, which has a Druze population of 20,000, most of whom retain Syrian citizenship. About 130,000 Druze live in Israel, have Israeli citizenship and many have served in the Israeli army and the Knesset. Israeli Druze protested in 2018 after adopting a law defining Israel as the "nation state" of the Jewish people. Druze, who count for 1.6 per cent and Palestinian Arabs 21 per cent, cried foul as this law transformed them into "second-class citizens." The normally loyal Druze protested in the streets. Although Druze are prominent in literature, politics, business, and the military in Israel their voices fell on deaf ears. Druze have emigrated to the US, UK, Europe, and Latin America although many retain communal connections and an active interest in the affairs of this conflicted region. One of the founders in 1968 of American Near East Refugee Aid, ANERA, was Jim Sams (Abu Samra) whose family comes from the 12th century Lebanese Chouf Mountain Druze village of Baakleen. The most high-profile Druze on the global scene today is British-born international lawyer Amal Alamuddin who is married to US actor George Clooney. The couple have founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice which operated in 40 countries in defence of free speech and women's rights.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Yassine al-Haj Saleh: In Syria, we no longer have translators between pains
Seven months ago, the lightning offensive led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and its allies resulted within days in the fall of a regime more than half a century old, considered one of the most repressive in the world. The advent of a new era raised hopes for a better future for its people. But that interlude quickly anti-Alawite massacres carried out in March by forces allied with the new regime, the clashes between Druze, Bedouins and government forces that have killed several hundred since last Sunday in Sweida have reminded everyone how alive sectarian hatred remains. In both cases, the government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, proved incapable of stopping its men from committing crimes in territories largely inhabited by religious minorities. What lies behind this violence? What does it say about the new government? And how can the...
Rudaw Net
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Rojava administration reiterates call for ‘decentralized' Syria, constitutional overhaul
Also in Syria Rojava ruling party rejects Damascus 'integration' as bid to 'dismantle' institutions Rojava official says concerned about hate speech, treason accusations after US envoy remarks Washington prioritizing unified Syria, not Kurdish autonomy: Former US diplomat Syrian, Israeli officials meet in Baku: Sources A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Sunday reiterated its call for a 'decentralized Syria' built on democratic and pluralistic foundations, while firmly rejecting accusations of separatist ambitions and reaffirming its 'unequivocal' commitment to Syria's territorial unity. The statement comes amid ongoing negotiations with the interim government in Damascus. In a statement released Sunday, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) stated, 'For decades, Syrians suffered under a centralized system that monopolized power and wealth' and 'dragged the country into repeated crises. 'Today, we aspire to be genuine partners in building a new Syria - a decentralized state that embraces all its people and guarantees their rights equally,' DAANES said. The Rojava administration further emphasized that its calls for 'a pluralistic democratic system' are longstanding, while reaffirming that the unity of Syrian territory is 'a non-negotiable principle and a constant pillar' of its vision, warning that politicizing this issue 'only serves those who seek to undermine the prospects of a political solution.' Following a swift offensive in December, a coalition of opposition groups - then headed by the now-dissolved Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under Ahmed al-Sharaa - toppled the regime of longtime dictator Bashar Sharaa was appointed interim president in January, vowing to lead an inclusive political transition. However, in the months that followed, the interim government's policies have drawn criticism from minority groups, including the Kurds, who accuse it of exclusion and centralization. A key breakthrough came in early March, when Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), signed an agreement to integrate the Kurdish-led force, which serves as the de facto army in Rojava. The accord also outlined the integration of 'all civil and military institutions' in Rojava under the Syrian state, including border crossings, Qamishli International Airport, and oil and gas fields. Since then, multiple rounds of talks have been held between DAANES and Syrian government delegations, with participation from US and French envoys. While these talks have made some headway, a core disagreement continues to stall further progress. Damascus maintains that DAANES's administrative and military structures must be fully absorbed into a centralized state, adhering to the principle of 'one Syria, one army, one government.' In contrast, the Kurdish pirates in Rojava are advocating for a decentralized, democratic Syria that preserves the autonomy and institutions developed in Rojava over the past decade. In its Sunday statement, DAANES welcomed the latest meetings with the Syrian government - held in the presence of US and French representatives - as 'a crucial step toward launching a serious Syrian-Syrian dialogue.' It also expressed 'sincere thanks and gratitude' to both countries for their 'constructive role and continuous efforts in supporting stability, peace, and democracy in Syria.' The Kurdish-led administration also reiterated its call for the drafting of a new constitution 'that guarantees the rights of all components' of Syrian society. In mid-March, Sharaa signed a 53-article constitutional declaration that enshrines Islamic jurisprudence, requires the president to be Muslim, and outlines a five-year transitional period. The document retains the country's name as the Syrian Arab Republic and grants sweeping powers to the president, including exclusive executive authority, the ability to appoint one-third of the legislature, and control over appointments to the constitutional court - the only body capable of holding the president accountable. Kurdish groups in Rojava quickly rejected the declaration, arguing that any constitution must emerge from a genuine national consensus, not be imposed unilaterally. Of note, the DAANES statement came a day after a senior official in Rojava's ruling party warned on Saturday that the interim government's approach to integration amounts to an effort to 'dissolve the institutions' of the DAANES and strip it of its political and administrative roles. Fawza Youssef, a member of the presidential body of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), further stated that DAANES's model - established over the past 13 years - should not be viewed as "an obstacle, but as a pillar for strengthening Syria's power and cohesion' and a cornerstone for rebuilding a democratic Syria.
Middle East Eye
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Syrians fear Israel normalisation could plunge the country back into war
Syrians fear the country could plunge back into the throes of war if its new rulers press ahead with a normalisation deal with Israel. Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told journalists that his government was seeking more normalisation agreements in the region, with Syria and Lebanon eyed as among the countries looking to formally establish diplomatic relations despite the ongoing war on Gaza. "Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords circle of peace and normalisation," Saar said of the US-brokered deals that Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020, during US President Donald Trump's first term in office. "We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbours - to the circle of peace and normalisation while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests," Saar added. His comments came days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel's recent conflict with Iran had opened "the path to dramatically enlarge the peace accord". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Alaa Ibrahim al-Hajji, an IT engineer, lamented the Israeli ministers' comments and warned that "any move toward normalisation will spark widespread public anger that could undermine the government's legitimacy". "I don't want Syria to be dragged into another war after all the destruction we've endured," he said. 'Public reaction would be overwhelmingly negative, especially with what's happening in Gaza' - Hassan Nifi, Syrian writer Syria was mired in a brutal civil for more than 13 years until rebels, led by the powerful Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group, launched a lightning offensive in December - capturing Damascus, Aleppo and other key areas. Immediately after the fall of the Assad dynasty, Israel began seizing more Syrian territory near the occupied Golan Heights, claiming it was concerned about President Ahmed al-Sharaa's interim administration, which it has dismissed as "jihadist". Since assuming power, Sharaa has admitted that his government is holding "indirect talks" with Israel, and on Tuesday, Syrian sources told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that the Syrian president had met with Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi in Abu Dhabi. The Israeli prime minister's office later denied the meeting. Israel and Syria have technically been at war since the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948. A state of heightened tension and deep enmity between the two countries accelerated during the 1967 war, which also drew in Egypt and Jordan, and Israel's subsequent occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights. Meaningful talks Hajji decried the Syrian government's approach towards Israel and said it would be unacceptable for any Syrian to accept a normalisation deal as Gaza continues to be attacked. "Syrians can't ignore Israel's crimes against children and innocent civilians," he said. For more than 21 months, Israel has relentlessly bombed the besieged Gaza Strip, displacing the entire 2.3 million population multiple times and killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Syria's new rulers face unprecedented criticism as Israel uses air space to attack Iran Read More » The figure also includes at least 1,400 health sector professionals, 280 UN aid workers - the highest staff death toll in UN history - and at least 228 journalists, with the highest number of media workers killed in conflict since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) began recording data in 1992. In recent days, Tom Barrack, one of US President Donald Trump's key envoys to the Middle East, has said Syria and Israel are engaged in "meaningful" talks through the US that aim to restore calm along their border. Meanwhile, reports in Israeli media have suggested that Trump is dangling the possibility of a normalisation agreement between Israel and Syria as a carrot in exchange for Israel agreeing to end the war in Gaza. Hassan Nifi, a Syrian writer, told MEE that Sharaa would struggle to get popular approval for a normalisation deal, but if he miraculously went ahead with it, it would push the country to the brink. "Public reaction would be overwhelmingly negative, especially with what's happening in Gaza," he said. "Everyone knows this [normalisation] deal would be entirely in Israel's favour." Too early to talk about normalisation Israeli leaders have repeatedly lobbied the US to keep Syria weak and decentralised, and earlier this year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed that the war on Gaza would only end when Palestinians were forcibly displaced and Syria was dismembered. Israel has also attempted to exploit the plight of the Druze minority, and has repeatedly attacked sites in Syria it claims are being used "act" against the interests of the minority religious group. "Israel's real goal is to dismantle Syria's military infrastructure so it can't defend itself," Nifi said. Syria-Israel talks: Why the Golan Heights must not be a bargaining chip Read More » "More importantly, Israel wants to exploit Syria's fragile security and economic collapse to extract political concessions, chief among them normalisation." However, Wael Alwan, a researcher at the Jusoor Center for Studies, said that it was still too early to talk about normalisation between the former foes. "There are still deep-rooted issues between the two sides," he said, adding: "Israel maintains a hardline stance toward Syria's new government, continues to occupy large parts of southern Syria, and wants to keep intervening militarily to serve its own goals - all of which undermine Syria's sovereignty." He noted that unless Israel came to the negotiating table and there was a broader Arab consensus on normalisation - one that requires resolving the Palestinian issue and securing regional security guarantees from Israel - it was unlikely Syria would formally recognise Israel anytime soon. Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de-facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, has repeatedly said the kingdom would not normalise relations unless there is a clear pathway to a Palestinian state.
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Netanyahu's gift to Trump marks a ‘historic horizon' for Mideast peace
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited President Donald Trump at the White House Monday, he celebrated his country's victory over the Islamic Republic of Iran — after a brief but intense 12-day war — with an unusual gift. 'I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,' Netanyahu told Trump, handing over a sealed envelope. 'It's the nomination of you for the Peace Prize, which is well-deserved. And you should get it.' Netanyahu, his generals and his spymasters pulled off a remarkable feat when they launched a surprise attack against the Iranian regime last month. Israel had complete air superiority as it freely struck Iranian nuclear and military sites. But Israel's war would never have ended as it did had Trump not dispatched American B-2 bombers to drop 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites — capabilities Israel lacked. The moment Trump unleashed them was the moment the Iranian regime capitulated. Now, Trump says, Iran's clerical leaders wish to discuss an end to hostilities, as the regime that famously called for 'death to America' seems to cower before America's might. A lot could go sideways, but a weakened regime in Iran is a potential game-changer for the entire Middle East — and, as Netanyahu's Nobel nomination suggests, for the prospects of a lasting peace. The Iranian regime has cast a dark shadow over most of the region since its inception in 1979. It has waged war against America's allies across the Middle East, and its terrorist proxies have destabilized one country after another. Now, thanks to Trump, the regime in Tehran is reeling, and the Israelis, over the course of more than 600 days of war, have neutralized those proxies. This leaves the region ripe for change. We're already seeing the early signs. Peace between Israel and Syria is now on the horizon, Trump noted Monday as he and Netanyahu spoke to the press. After the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, Syria's new leader, purportedly reformed jihadist Ahmad al-Sharaa, declared his intent to normalize relations with Israel. On Tuesday, the State Department dropped its official designation of al-Sharaa's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group as a foreign terrorist organization, a major step toward the normalization goal. Remarkably, Trump now believes that other Middle Eastern states may soon follow Syria's lead. Of course, sealing a relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be the president's crowning achievement. Trump drew remarkably close to closing that deal during his first term, but fell just short. Now, the Saudis are drawing near to it again, with senior Riyadh officials meeting with Trump at the White House just days ago. Hamas, the terrorist group that once ruled the Gaza Strip, is now perhaps the greatest challenge for Trump's vision for a new Middle East. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters The Iran-backed proxy has been badly beaten by Israel, but it still stubbornly refuses to release 50 Israeli hostages (20 of them thought to be still living) to end the war. It remains to be seen whether Steven Witkoff, Trump's chief negotiator, can wear down Hamas at the bargaining table. In the meantime, Trump appears to be making plans to find alternative futures for the people of Gaza. Speaking with Netanyhau Monday, Trump hinted at Arab states' growing willingness to provide new leadership in the Gaza Strip, even floating the possibility of offering Gazans a choice to relocate. In Iran, in Syria, in Saudi Arabia, and perhaps even in Gaza, the region may be on the precipice of an 'historic horizon,' in the words of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. While Huckabee, the first evangelical Christian to represent America in the Holy Land, is inspired by faith, the major players appear to be responding to hard power. We'll soon see how successfully Trump and Netanyahu can wield that hard power, and leverage the victories they've achieved, to help forge a more prosperous and peaceful Middle East. Jonathan Schanzer is executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on X @JSchanzer.
