Culturally Reengineering Syria from the Israeli perspective

While we see the escalation of Israeli raids in Syria, as well as talk of diplomatic channels between Damascus and Tel Aviv, certain discussions about Israel’s relations with the new Syrian regime are gaining traction in Israeli research centres; the report discusses the view on Syrian Israeli relations as well as views and predictions being discussed about Syria.

Key points:

• There is increasing interest withing Israeli research centres and think tanks about the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham accords, sparking internal debate about the prospects of normalizing relations and its limitations.
• Israeli press and centres released statements regarding the conditions and regulations required to begin talks of peace, especially due to Ahmed Al Sharaa’s history, as well as Israel’s position on the Golan heights and the case of the Druze community in Syria.
• The Israeli proposition goes beyond traditional political treaties, instead proposing a reengineering of Syrian political culture to integrate Israel within the Syrian cultural fabric both symbolically as well as in the psyche of the Syrian people.

There is notable interest with Israeli research centres and think tanks about the political manoeuvres of the new transitional government of Syria headed by Ahmad Al Sharaa, this comes as an aftermath of the reports issued about the Syrian president during his meeting with American congressmen Cory Mills and Marlin Stutzman on the 18^th of April. The importance of the meeting lies in Mills discussion around “Syria’s interest in joining the Abraham accords under the right conditions,” which is what sparked large internal dialogue within Israel about the possibility of this and its limitations.

Israeli analysis diverges with some expressing that the reports about Ahmad Al Sharaa’s meeting with American Representatives indicating positive progress and presenting a strategic opportunity to reshape relations with Syria, on the other hand, others have expressed severe concerns towards Ahmad Al Sharaa’s “Jihadist” past; doubting the possibility of building a lasting and reliable peace with a regime that carries this heritage. American congressman Cory Mills also express this: “I am cautiously optimistic and look to maintain open dialogue.”

With all of this, the Jerusalem post published a report revealing the demands of the American administration in order to lift the imposed sanctions on Damascus, the most notable of which: disassembling what remains of the chemical weapons arsenal, cooperation on Anti-Terror operations, and guarantees that foreign fighters will not receive high positions in state. The report also highlights Mills assurances of Ahmad Al Sharaa’s desire to join the Abraham accords “in the right time;” this desire comes off as conditional and with yet unclear characteristics.

The author and analyst Ohad Merlin (Middle east affairs correspondent for the Jerusalem Post) highlighted the conditions that Israel must impose in the case that a move towards peace with Syria is decided, which includes in his perspective:

• The refusal of Israel from withdrawing from the Golan heights which Israel considers to be a strategic region and an integral part of Israel’s land, also aiming for complete Israeli control and sovereignty over the heights.
• The continued guarantees given by Isreal to the Druze in southern Syria, which is non-negotiable due to Israel’s view that it carries a sacred duty towards the Druze community.
• Israel must also demand that Syria clearly and wholly condemn all terror and jihadist ideologies and abandon them, including condemning and shunning Hamas’ terror and its actions on October 7^th.
• Preparations must be made to protect Israeli national security, including moving Syrian forces away from the Israeli border, creating a balance between Turkish interests in the region, alongside guarantying Iran will not be able to use Syria as a centre for smuggling weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
• A complete overhaul of the Syrian education system and journalism and forcing the Syrian education syllabus to recognize the Jewish people and Israel as natural and a historically present force in the region, as well as removing mentions of delegitimizing terms such as, “The Zionist Entity” and “Occupation Authority.”

It can be clearly seen that the real danger that Israel presents, is not in its political or military conditions, but in the form of a deep and systemic project aimed at culturally reengineering Syria. Which includes plans to integrate Israel into the Syrian educational system as well as recognizing the Jewish people as an integral part of the regional fabric; steps that are viewed by many analysts to be a threat to the identity of the future generations of Syria.

This cultural shift transcends political agreements, it aims to create a new model of normalization than the one between Egypt/Jordan and Israel, moving on from old notions of cold cut political recognition and into complete cultural normalization with the express aim to erase the historically rotted hostilities and wipe the narrative of conflict.

Regardless of signs of Ahmad Al Sharaa’s acceptance, the future of normalization remains complicated and uncertain, especially with the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Golan heights, the complications regarding the case of the Druze, as well as the multitude of political actors both regional and global within Syria; there are unanswered questions that remain:

First of which being, what are the “Right conditions” that Ahmad Al Sharaa refers to? Do these conditions include the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Syrian lands, and is it possible for a nascent and temporary government to make decisions of this scale?

Under these conditions, Israeli reports have not been without doubts, as well as comments from the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar describing Ahmad Al Sharaa; “He was a jihadist and remains so, even if some of his leadership put on formal suits.”

In conclusion, the given variables point to Israel not only desiring traditional political agreements with Syria, instead ambitiously planning for a deal that will redraw the political, security, and cultural make up of a new Syria. This project if realized, will be more than just an act of normalization, but a complete reshaping of Syria to fit Israel’s plan for the region.