Washington, Nov 12 (V7N) — Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara has rejected the possibility of immediate talks with Israel despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Syria to join the Abraham Accords “as soon as possible.”
Following his meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday, Al-Shara told Fox News that Syria’s circumstances are fundamentally different from those of other nations that have normalized ties with Israel under the U.S.-brokered accord.
“The situation in Damascus is not comparable to that of other signatories,” said Al-Shara. “Syria shares a border with Israel, and since 1967, Israel has continued its occupation of the Golan Heights. We are not entering direct negotiations at this stage. Perhaps President Trump’s administration can help us move toward that in the future.”
Since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, Israel has occupied several border regions within Syrian territory, further complicating diplomatic prospects.
The Abraham Accords, initiated by the Trump administration in 2020, were designed to normalize relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were the first to sign, later followed by Morocco and Sudan.
Now in his second term, President Trump recently expressed optimism that both Syria and Saudi Arabia would soon join the agreement, marking a significant step toward broader Middle East stability.
President Al-Shara, who assumed power after the fall of Assad’s regime, has rapidly strengthened diplomatic ties with Western nations. His ongoing state visit to the United States, which began on November 9, underscores renewed U.S.-Syrian engagement under his leadership.
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