A woman in Tyre, Lebanon’s Burj al-Shemali refugee camp walks past a mural expressing the desire of Palestinian refugees to return home. AFP
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel had an “interest in adding countries, Syria and Lebanon, our neighbours, to the circle of peace and normalisation while safeguarding Israel’s essential and security interests.”
Neither Beirut nor Damascus responded, reflecting deep mistrust after decades of Israeli attacks and occupation.
Saar’s statement came amid shifting regional dynamics, including the fall of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December and the weakening of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah following its latest conflict with Israel. However, Israel’s history of military aggression continues to shape attitudes.
Syria’s new Islamist authorities confirmed indirect talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions following the Israeli army’s occupation of the UN-monitored buffer zone in southern Syria and repeated bombings of Syrian army positions. Damascus condemned the strikes as violations of its sovereignty.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly called on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its attacks. While moderating his rhetoric compared with his predecessor, mistrust remains high.
“There is no problem with conducting peace negotiations, but in a way that maintains Syria’s dignity,” said housewife Rania al-Fawakhiri in Damascus. “Of course, we are not talking about complete normalisation, but conditional normalisation that does not undermine our rights.”
Syria said the goal of talks is to reimplement the 1974 ceasefire between the two countries — a minimal step amid decades of Israeli hostility.
The status of the Golan Heights remains a key sticking point. Israel occupied the area during the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981, a move not recognised internationally.
“We want our land, we have occupied land,” said Damascus lawyer Awad al-Hamad. “The Golan will only ever be Arab and Syrian.”
Saar stated the Golan Heights “will remain part of the State of Israel” under any future peace agreement, underscoring Tel Aviv’s refusal to relinquish occupied territory.
Under Assad, Syria’s education system labelled Israel “the usurping entity” and “the Zionist enemy,” framing the “liberation of the Golan” as a national duty. Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948.
No substantive negotiations have taken place since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, which allowed Iran and its regional allies to strengthen their presence amid ongoing Israeli strikes.
Israel’s push for normalisation follows its military weakening of regional adversaries in Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran, but its continued strikes, ongoing genocide in Gaza, and military occupation continue to fuel tensions.
The United States has strongly backed normalisation, with Syria envoy Tom Barrack saying on Sunday that Sharaa “has indicated that he doesn’t hate Israel... and that he wants peace on that border.”
Barrack also urged Lebanese officials to commit to fully disarming Hezbollah, a major military and political force resisting Israeli attacks.
Despite a ceasefire, Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions but also causing civilian casualties and widespread damage.
Lebanese officials have demanded full Israeli withdrawal and insisted state forces be the sole bearers of arms.
The latest conflict began after Hezbollah attacks in 2023 in support of Palestinians in Gaza escalated into an all-out war with Israel in September.
Israeli strikes inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah-held areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing thousands of Lebanese, many of them civilians, and deepening Lebanon’s economic crisis.
“Lebanon’s wellbeing comes first, and if the only way to get that is through normalisation... we could have a peace treaty to rebuild our country,” said 71-year-old Naim Qassir in Beirut’s Hamra district.
But not all share that view. “Even if the whole world normalises with Israel... we the owners of the land in the south, the Beqaa and Dahiyeh will not,” said 46-year-old driver Ahmed Shamas. “We will fight it until the end of time.”
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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