The Diplomatic Sisyphus: Israeli-Syrian Normalization

June 30th, 2025

Ty Tan

When the Abraham Accords were signed back in 2020, the normalization of multiple Arab nations—the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco—was seen as a diplomatic breakthrough. As further talks with Arab nations followed, the prospect of further normalization and Israeli acceptance by nations like Saudi Arabia would’ve flipped the script of Israel’s Arab pariah status. Yet, on October 7th, 2023, the Arab world turned its back on Israel. The Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent brutality of the IDF were a non-starter in any Arab negotiations, as the Arab League was in solidarity against Israel.

This appeared to be the status quo for the Arab world until December 2024, when Syrian rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), deposed the Assad regime. The lightning rebellion brought about an eerie silence to Syria, a transition period in which Syria’s new leadership sought peace. With Ahmed Al-Sharaa—Syria’s current president—himself speaking of Israel in a cautious, restrained, yet somewhat positive manner in December 2024, it’s no surprise that peaceful negotiations now appear to be on the table. To understand the ‘advanced talks’ of today, we must understand the Syrian-Israeli Normalization in the first half of 2025.

In the aftermath of the Syrian Revolution, Netanyahu was invigorated by a sense of carpe diem. For Jerusalem, entering Syria served multiple purposes. First, the removal of Assad opened the door for Jerusalem to root out Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ proxy networks, ensuring that weapons that flow toward Hezbollah and Hamas are cut off. Second, Jerusalem’s regional agenda feared the spillover effects of Syrian chaos. The best way to prevent the chaos from spreading to Israel would be through unilateral military action. Outside analysts outlined that success for Jerusalem would require strategic clarity. By offering a timeline for strategic communication and engagement with groups in Syria, while also redefining its border defense and engagement strategy on a global level, Israel could effectively engage and foster a positive diplomatic relationship with the Syrian regime.

However, Israel failed to offer peace. The days following the Syrian Revolution saw Israel strike Syria 480 times in an attempt to stymie violence. Additionally, the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement—the diplomatic agreement that established a demilitarized buffer zone monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Forces (UNDOF)—was violated when the IDF seized Syrian-controlled areas in the DMZ and the Golan Heights. In what has been dubbed Operation Arrow of Bashan, extensive aerial and naval strikes have been conducted on Syrian military targets. Jerusalem has claimed the advance on the territory was to establish stability in the region. Yet, the destruction of Syrian weapons depots in Damascus and southern Syria further cemented Jerusalem’s logic: that the only way to create a peaceful Syria was by cutting off their hands. The Israeli attacks can be summarized in a statement from Netanyahu, in which he said he would “change the face of the Middle East.” The months-long offensive still going on demonstrates Israel’s motive in Syria.

In the face of Israeli aggression, Damascus has remained calm. Even in the face of IDF attacks killing scores of civilians in the Golan Heights, the ‘Chameleon Diplomat’ Al-Sharaa has pushed for diplomacy. Al-Sharaa has sought to uphold the 1974 ceasefire agreement even when Israeli attacks bombed military infrastructure all across the nation. His passivity has been controversial in Syria, as many dislike how Al-Sharaa has let Israel walk all over the Syrian sovereignty of the Golan Heights. However, after Trump visited the Middle East in May 2025, reports indicate that Al-Sharaa has been encouraged toward a resolution to this ‘Israeli Invasion’ of their territory: normalization.

This context of invasion and diplomacy leads us to the events of today. Reports from Monday revealed that Jerusalem and Damascus have been holding ‘advanced talks’ facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. Washington is also helping to advance the talks, with Thomas J. Barrack Jr., the US Ambassador to Türkiye, stating that Syria is interested in joining the Abraham Accords. The slow diplomatic process is a win for Al-Sharaa on a global stage, yet the prospect of normalization still seems far off. For normalization, the deep enmity between Israel and Syria needs to be repaired. Yet, major issues still exist, such as the extent to which Israel and Syria each want to re-establish diplomatic and economic relations, alongside the future of the Golan Heights, a region that Al-Sharaa wants 1/3 of before agreeing to any sort of peace deal. This is because the new government of HTS doesn’t want to commit political suicide, an action that would occur if Al-Sharaa recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.

Thus, as the diplomatic process continues, Jerusalem and Damascus remain at odds. With the pace of negotiations sluggish, aspirational hopes of normalization seem years off. Yet as the entire region is caught in flames, the Israeli-Syrian relationship is one that is approaching tranquility.