'It’s not appropriate that the events of Oct. 7 set Israel policy for Syria,' al-Sharaa criticizes Israel at UNGA
While speaking before the Atlantic Council, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa claimed that Israel's policy toward Syria was "not logical," and accused the Jewish state of "creating problems around it"
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa will open day two of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, speaking first on a list of influential world leaders including Iran. Ahead of his speech, al-Sharaa sat down with the Atlantic Council, an American think tank, to discuss topics like Israel and Syria's national security.
Al-Sharaa detailed the negotiations between Israel and Syria, saying direct talks between the sides are happening with American involvement.
"Syria chose to go through diplomacy and to solve that problem through talks and negotiations, as well as seeking the help of countries that are friendly to Israel, including the United States," he said, adding that "There were several sessions of negotiations with Israel, and we almost reached 90% of agreements."
While an agreement has not been made, the Syrian president reassured that the communication channels between Syria and Israel are open and active.
"We are not saying that there will be lasting peace right now between Syria and Israel, but we need to protect the security and the rights of Syrians before we can talk about peace," al-Sharaa explained.
While al-Sharaa acknowledged that Israel has legitimate security concerns, he rejected the idea that those concerns could justify every Israeli action.
"It’s not appropriate that what happened on October 7 set Israeli policy for Syria. This is not logical. This brings more security threats," the President stated.
Pointing to Damascus's developing relations with the United States and Western allies, al-Sharaa explained that "those relations are successful, and those relations are not successful with Israel. So I believe the problem is with Israel, not with Syria."
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Regarding the Golan Heights, al-Sharaa recounted a story from his visit to the White House. Al-Sharaa says when President Donald Trump told him the Golan Heights was Israel's, the Syrian president retorted, “Why don’t you give New Jersey to the Israelis? You don’t own the Golan Heights to give, but you own New Jersey.”
Al-Sharaa then expanded on the joke to the council, stating, "I believe New Jersey is full of Democrats, and they are not voting for Trump, so it would be good to give it to the Israelis. At least this is something you own. Trump doesn’t own the Golan Heights."
The discussion ultimately came around to al-Sharaa's past, specifically his time with al-Qaeda. When asked whether he now explicitly renounced both the pledge he gave to the terrorist group and the ideology behind it, al-Sharaa did not offer a direct renunciation, but claimed that at the time, he was a "different age, and the conditions in the region were different," explaining that his life experiences stemmed from his involvement in fighting the Assad regime.
Asked specifically about the 9/11 terror attacks, al-Sharaa was quick to point out that he had "nothing to do with that," noting at the time, "I was 13 years old. I didn't know anything about this stuff."