Despite Recent Wins, Durable Syria–Israel Peace Faces Long Odds

Could the Trump administration be close to brokering a normalization agreement between Syria and Israel? The State Department just announced 180-day sanctions relief for Syria, and the special envoy to Syria and the U.S. ambassador to Turkey commended Syria’s actions on “taking meaningful steps” in cracking down on foreign fighters in the country, in addition to progress in “relations with Israel.”

These developments also come at a time when Israel and Syria are speaking with each other directly over border concerns, and Israeli and Syrian officials have met in Azerbaijan to discuss Syria’s potential ascension into the Abraham Accords, in talks moderated by the United Arab Emirates and attended by Turkey. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. even predicted that Syria (and Lebanon) could join the Abraham Accords before Saudi Arabia. (RELATED: The Abraham Accords Are the Way Toward Peace)