Israel is opening a new front in its diplomatic efforts, expressing interest in establishing formal ties with Syria and Lebanon. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Monday that this initiative is driven by the belief that Iran’s influence has waned after the recent 12-day war, creating a window for broader regional engagement.
However, Saar made it unequivocally clear that the status of the Golan Heights, annexed by Israel in 1981 after being captured from Syria in 1967, is not open for discussion. This stance directly clashes with Syria’s unwavering claim to the territory, which is largely recognized as occupied land by the international community.
The current diplomatic push aligns with the precedent set by the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. These agreements, while groundbreaking, faced widespread unpopularity in the Arab world, underscoring the deep-seated resistance to normalization without addressing core Palestinian grievances.
Indeed, a senior Syrian official anonymously asserted that any normalization efforts must strictly adhere to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. This initiative proposes full Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, West Bank, and Gaza, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, dismissed the Palestinian statehood precondition as “not constructive,” citing security concerns, thereby highlighting a fundamental impasse.
