Syria issues customs decree reinforcing ban on Israeli goods amid stalled normalization talks with Israel

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has issued a decree revising the country's customs law, reinforcing the ban on importing Israeli goods into Syria and continuing anti-Israel economic policies carried over from the Assad era. A Syrian source told i24NEWS's Senior Middle East Correspondent Ariel Oseran that al-Sharaa is using the move to strengthen domestic support. "Al-Sharaa seeks to use this strong internal position to justify signing an agreement with Israel in the future," the source said.

The decree, No. 109 of 2026 is the new Syrian Customs Law, replacing previous legislation. Article 112 prohibits the entry and import of goods that violate boycott laws (such as the boycott of Israel) or harm public order. It also prohibits the entry of Israeli citizens into the country. 

The move comes amid stalled normalization talks between Damascus and Jerusalem. Al-Sharaa said in April that negotiations had not reached a dead end but were "progressing with great difficulty due to Israel's insistence on maintaining a presence on Syrian soil." Talks are currently focused on restoring the 1974 UN buffer zone, with the future of the Golan Heights to be addressed in a later stage.

At a Chatham House event in March, al-Sharaa described the trajectory of talks with Israel in stark terms. "We tried through dialogue and discussion. Indirect negotiations began and then moved to direct negotiations. We reached good points, but at the last moments we always find a shift in the Israeli position," he said.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani echoed those frustrations earlier this month, saying: "For the last year and a half, we've had threats from Israel and destabilization of our country. There were negotiations under US mediation. We've not reached any results yet, but we hope we'll be able to have a calm and stable relationship with Israel."