Syria-Israel Diplomacy
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa details direct talks and rejects Israel policy
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Key Points
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Al-Sharaa made the remarks during an Atlantic Council appearance in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, ahead of his address to the assembly.
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He said Syria and Israel’s communication channels remain open and active, but cautioned that “lasting peace” is not immediately achievable and that Syria’s security and the rights of Syrians must be protected first.
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Al-Sharaa called for Israel to respect the security of other countries and advocated “mutual respect and good economic and trade relations” as an alternative to policies he said were generating more regional threats.
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Recalling his exchange with President Donald Trump over the Golan Heights, al-Sharaa said: “Why don’t you give New Jersey to the Israelis? You don’t own the Golan Heights to give it to them, but you own New Jersey.”
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The remarks came amid scrutiny of al-Sharaa’s background: one account noted that he had led a jihadist group formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda before taking power.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa rejected any claim by Israel to the Golan Heights, insisting the territory remains Syrian under international law. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, al-Sharaa said Free Malaysia Today that Syria and Israel have held direct negotiations with U.S. involvement and came close to agreement on roughly 90% of outstanding issues—but further progress requires Israel to first withdraw from areas it occupied in southern Syria after Bashar al-Assad's fall.
Al-Sharaa acknowledged Israeli security concerns following the October 7 Hamas attack but said that event should not dictate Israel's policy toward Syria. He told President Donald Trump the U.S. has no right to transfer Syrian territory, quipping, according to Economic Times, "Why don't you give New Jersey to the Israelis? You don't own the Golan Heights to give it to them, but you own New Jersey."
Direct Talks Stalled Over Israeli Withdrawals
Syria and Israel maintain open communication channels, al-Sharaa said at the Atlantic Council event in New York. The two countries came close to settling roughly 90% of disputed issues. However, Al Jazeera reported that al-Sharaa made clear further talks depend on Israel withdrawing from southern Syrian territory it seized after Assad's regime collapsed. Only after that withdrawal, he said, can negotiations shift to security arrangements and potential lasting peace.
Al-Sharaa Rejects October 7 as Syrian Policy Driver
Al-Sharaa acknowledged that Israel faced real security threats from the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli territory. But TRT World reported that he argued this event should not dictate how Israel treats Syria. He said Israeli actions in the region are actually creating additional security threats—and called instead for mutual respect and improved economic and trade relations between the two countries.
International Law Stands Behind Syrian Claim
The Golan Heights is Syrian territory under international law and will remain so, al-Sharaa stated firmly at the UN. Yahoo News reported that al-Sharaa rejected Israel's annexation of the strategic territory as invalid. He made the case to President Trump that the U.S. president cannot simply hand over land that belongs to another nation—using New Jersey as an example of territory the U.S. actually controls.
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