Latest news with #Pan-Arab
Ya Libnan
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Momentum builds for Israel-Syria peace
File: President Donald Trump meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS For the first time, Syrians are openly calling for peace with Israel . In an interview with Fox News Digital, journalist Furat Alali from Damascus said, 'We want a future without wars. We want to live. People are not afraid to speak up anymore.' Her statement reflects a significant shift in the country's political landscape, as many Syrians begin to openly discuss the prospect of peace with Israel. This change comes at a time when Syria and Israel are engaged in direct talks as Reuters revealed on Tuesday, marking a dramatic departure from the decades-long hostility between the two nations. Reuters reported , Israel and Syria have recently held direct meetings focused on security issues along their shared border. These talks represent a major step in the relationship between the two countries, which have been adversaries for decades. Sources familiar with the discussions have indicated that the U.S. has played a pivotal role in facilitating these talks, encouraging Syria's new leadership to engage with Israel. The discussions come after a shift in U.S. policy, following President Donald Trump's meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this month. The meeting signaled a break from decades of U.S. hostility toward Syria's Assad regime and opened the door to potential normalization between Syria and Israel. While the talks are still in the early stages, Trump's engagement has raised the possibility of Syria's leadership eventually normalizing ties with Israel, although this process will likely take time. Furat Alali explained: 'We don't want to be part of the Axis of Resistance anymore. The Palestinian cause has been used to oppress us. We feel sympathy for the Palestinians, but now we need to focus on Syria and our future.' Lina Ali, a 24-year-old pharmacist from Latakia, told Fox News Digital, 'We feel for the people of Gaza. We condemn the mass killings, but we are in a different situation. We are thinking about our own interests now. The idea of exploiting the Palestinian cause to oppress the Syrian people has been rejected. We are tired of this.' Another young woman interviewed by Jusoor News, a Pan-Arab media outlet, shared similar thoughts: 'We are for anything that serves our country's interest. We've lived through difficult times. The country's economy is very weak. It's time for people to live.' FOX NEWS
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Momentum builds for Israel-Syria peace as Trump reboots regional diplomacy
For the first time, Syrians are openly calling for peace with Israel. In an interview with Fox News Digital, journalist Furat Alali from Damascus said, "We want a future without wars. We want to live. People are not afraid to speak up anymore." Her statement reflects a significant shift in the country's political landscape, as many Syrians begin to openly discuss the prospect of peace with Israel. This change comes at a time when Syria and Israel are engaged in direct talks as Reuters revealed on Tuesday, marking a dramatic departure from the decades-long hostility between the two nations. Reuters reported, Israel and Syria have recently held direct meetings focused on security issues along their shared border. These talks represent a major step in the relationship between the two countries, which have been adversaries for decades. A Weakened Hezbollah Leads Some In Lebanon To Talk Of Peace With Israel As Us Pushes Sides Together Sources familiar with the discussions have indicated that the U.S. has played a pivotal role in facilitating these talks, encouraging Syria's new leadership to engage with Israel. The discussions come after a shift in U.S. policy, following President Donald Trump's meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this month. The meeting signaled a break from decades of U.S. hostility toward Syria's Assad regime and opened the door to potential normalization between Syria and Israel. Read On The Fox News App While the talks are still in the early stages, Trump's engagement has raised the possibility of Syria's leadership eventually normalizing ties with Israel, although this process will likely take time. Furat Alali explained: "We don't want to be part of the Axis of Resistance anymore. The Palestinian cause has been used to oppress us. We feel sympathy for the Palestinians, but now we need to focus on Syria and our future." Lina Ali, a 24-year-old pharmacist from Latakia, told Fox News Digital, "We feel for the people of Gaza. We condemn the mass killings, but we are in a different situation. We are thinking about our own interests now. The idea of exploiting the Palestinian cause to oppress the Syrian people has been rejected. We are tired of this." Another young woman interviewed by Jusoor News, a Pan-Arab media outlet, shared similar thoughts: "We are for anything that serves our country's interest. We've lived through difficult times. The country's economy is very weak. It's time for people to live." Fall Of Syria's Bashar Assad Is Strategic Blow To Iran And Russia, Experts Say An elderly Syrian man explained to Jusoor, "We've spent 40-50 years preaching Arabism and liberating Palestine, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing. It's time for peace." The shift in Syria's stance on Israel is significant, especially given the historical enmity between the two nations. For decades, Syria and Israel have been locked in conflict, with the status of the Golan Heights remaining a key point of contention since its capture by Israel during the 1967 war. Syria's involvement in the Axis of Resistance, aligning with Iran and Hezbollah against Israel, has been a cornerstone of its foreign policy. However, the recent emergence of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has raised new possibilities, as well as concerns. Furat Ali said, "I was one of the journalists who extensively covered the violations of Jabhat al-Nusra before the fall of the Assad regime, the group Al-Jolani emerged from (using his previous name), which was part of al-Qaeda. I know exactly what they did. So, when I first heard that Al-Jolani was taking over Aleppo and challenging Assad, I was scared." "But as time went on," she added, "when he rebranded himself as Ahmed al-Sharaa and promised a new direction, I saw he was smart. He managed to convince the West to lift sanctions and engage with him, bringing back international recognition for Syria. While we remain skeptical and cautious, what we're seeing from Sharaa domestically is so far being accepted." Joseph Braude, founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications, highlighted the significance of the shift in public opinion within Syria. He noted, "People in Syria and Lebanon often associate the Palestinian issue with dictators who exploited it to justify corruption and brutality. There is a growing rejection of pro-Palestinian militancy, as many people now desire to turn the page and focus on new partnerships aimed at developing their own countries. "We believe that it has become a majority view in Syria that if peace with Israel brings economic development and improvements, then it's worth pursuing." He also pointed out that in countries dominated by Iran and its militias, ordinary people have the clearest understanding of the harm these groups cause. "They are among the most eager for a different future, increasingly calling for peace," Braude added. As one man interviewed by Jusoor News put it: "We've suffered years of oppression and war. It's time for reconstruction. We need peace with everyone," another Syrian added' "I support normalization a million percent! If normalization with Israel, or America or whoever can bring us comfort, then I'm on board. We just want peace!"Original article source: Momentum builds for Israel-Syria peace as Trump reboots regional diplomacy
Egypt Independent
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Egypt and Turkey conduct first high-level military meeting in Ankara
The first high-level military dialogue meeting between Turkey and Egypt was held in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that Chief of Staff Metin Gurak received his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Fathi Ibrahim Khalifa, with a military ceremony on Thursday, where they then held a closed meeting. Following the closed meeting, the first high-level military dialogue meeting between Turkey and Egypt, planned to be held annually between the chiefs of staff of both countries, was held at the Turkish General Staff headquarters. According to Turkish sources, the meeting addressed military cooperation relations and cooperation between Egypt and Turkey in the fields of training and defense industries. Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler later received the Egyptian Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation, the Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The first visit by a high-ranking Egyptian military official to Turkey since 2013 was by former Egyptian Chief of Staff Osama Askar, who was later appointed advisor to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Relations between the two countries had been strained in 2013 following the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, but both countries have fully normalized relations almost a decade after. Askar's visit to Ankara preceded Sisi's visit to Turkey on September 4, 2024, which witnessed the first meeting of the Strategic Council for Relations between the two countries. The Council was revived during Erdogan's visit to Cairo on February 14 of the same year, which was his first visit to Egypt after 12 years. During the visit, both sides affirmed their desire to increase military cooperation in many areas during the coming period, including cooperation in the defense industries and joint production. Defense Cooperation and Training Askar conducted an inspection tour of several defense industry companies in Ankara and Istanbul, including Baykar. He viewed several combat drones of various models, including Hürjet, an advanced training and light attack aircraft developed by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), the KIZILELMA drone, designed for air combat purposes and produced by Baykar, in addition to Bayraktar TB2 drone and T129 helicopter, developed by TUSAŞ in cooperation with the Italian company AgustaWestland. The Turkish Defense Ministry announced early May that Turkish and Egyptian Special Forces conducted joint training exercises in the capital, Ankara, from April 21-29. The ministry said in a statement on its Twitter account: 'The training included combat in populated neighborhoods, sniper training, medical training, parachute jumping, helicopter assault and landing exercises, rope landings, medical evacuation, special reconnaissance operations, and specific missions.'
