Trump meets Syrian president, urges him to establish ties with Israel
US President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia and urged him to normalize relations with Israel, his longtime enemy, following a surprise US announcement that it would lift all sanctions against the Islamist-led government. Trump then flew to Qatar, where he oversaw the signing of a deal for the Gulf Arab country to purchase aircraft from the US manufacturer Boeing (BAB).
Following US President Donald Trump's declaration that he would lift sanctions against Syria, a country seeking to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war, he met on Wednesday with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power at the head of a group that Washington has labeled a terrorist organization and that once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda
Trump told reporters that Sharaa said he was willing to eventually join the Abraham Accords, a 2020 U.S.-brokered agreement that allowed the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco to normalize relations with Israel. The Syrian authorities have shown their willingness to normalize relations under appropriate circumstances.
"I said, 'I hope you'll join when everything is resolved.' He said, 'Yes.' But they have a lot of work to do," Trump said, according to a White House report.
Photos released on Saudi state television show the two men shaking hands in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump said the meeting with Sharaa, whom he described as an attractive young man with a solid track record, was "excellent." "He has a very good chance of staying calm," he said.
Concern in Israel
Trump's trip to the Middle East, which does not include a visit to Jerusalem, has fueled doubts in Israel about the country's position in Washington's priorities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has asked the US president not to lift sanctions on the country, something Trump announced he would do on Tuesday, citing requests from Saudi Arabia and Türkiye
Syria is one of Israel's greatest enemies, and Israeli authorities continue to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, even though he broke ties with al-Qaeda in 2016. Sharaa first joined the group in Iraq, where he spent five years in a US prison. The United States withdrew the $10 million bounty on his head in December.
The Trump administration is also holding nuclear talks with its other enemy, Iran. The Israeli prime minister's office did not respond to a request for comment. Trump told reporters that having relations with Middle Eastern countries is "very positive for Israel."
Trump's decision to lift sanctions and bring Syria into the Abraham Accords could help keep Syria's old allies, Iran and Russia, at bay while the new administration builds diplomatic and financial ties with the region and the West.
The United States also hopes that Saudi Arabia, a regional heavyweight, will join the Abraham Accords, but talks stalled following the outbreak of the Gaza war, and the kingdom insists there can be no normalization without a Palestinian state.