Israeli media reports have revealed that Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara’a may soon hold a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, possibly during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session. The unconfirmed reports have sparked concerns across the Arab world given Israel’s ongoing military actions across the region and its past record in Syria itself.
Syria and Israel have technically remained in a state of war since the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. A particularly painful chapter in that history includes the illegal Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights since 1967, which Syria has long demanded be returned. Israel’s repeated military strikes on Syrian soil over the years have targeted both government and allied militia positions, often resulting in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
According to Israel’s Kan News, citing “Arab sources,” a backchannel or informal meeting between the Syrian and Israeli leadership is likely, and might take place on the sidelines of the UNGA meeting in New York. Additional reports suggest that the Syrian government may even be willing to formally relinquish claims to the Golan Heights, a move that would mark a major political shift and be seen by many Syrians and Arabs as a betrayal.
Kan News argues that both Syria and Israel share common opposition to groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and Iran. However, aligning diplomatically with Israel — a state widely accused of violating international law and committing war crimes in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen — could drastically damage Syria’s standing among its allies and the broader Arab and Muslim world. Such a move would also severely undermine resistance factions throughout the region.
Israel’s military operations have led to massive civilian suffering across the region — most recently in Gaza, where thousands have been killed, and in Southern Lebanon, where border villages face regular shelling. In Syria itself, Israeli airstrikes have targeted not just military positions, but reportedly also civilian airports and infrastructure, contributing further to the country’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
While official confirmation from Damascus is still pending, early reports have been met with widespread skepticism and condemnation on Arab social media platforms, where many see it as a betrayal of Syria’s sovereignty and the Palestinian cause. Critics have pointed out that normalizing ties with Israel under Netanyahu, at a time when Israel is facing international scrutiny for its military conduct, would reward aggression rather than hold it accountable.
If confirmed, a meeting between Syrian and Israeli leaders would mark a dramatic policy reversal by Damascus, and could shift regional alliances. However, the potential normalization comes at a time when Israel is engaged in simultaneous military operations across multiple countries, and when public opinion across the Arab world is increasingly critical of such rapprochements. For many, the reported willingness of Syria to negotiate without accountability for past aggression, particularly the occupation of the Golan Heights, raises serious questions about sovereignty, justice, and regional stability.
