Israel-Syria security deal stalls amid territorial disputes

Progress towards a potential US-brokered security deal between Israel and Syria has reportedly stalled, Asharq Al-Awsat reported on October 29th.

Following weeks of talks to implement a security deal, an Israeli official stated the stagnation of efforts is a response to a “joint hostile campaign by Damascus and Ankara against Israel”, and their push for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights.

The official claimed Israel “had expected a breakthrough in the direct negotiations with Damascus in recent months, to the point where both sides believed they were close to signing a security agreement by the end of September.” But, he mentioned “things changed when Arab media outlets began attacking Israel.”

Turkey continues to play a key role in Syrian affairs following the collapse of the Assad regime. Israel Hayom, a right wing news outlet close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reported that another Israeli official accused Turkey of “influence over Damascus‘s stance” in regards to territorial demands. 

Attempts at a security deal come amid Israeli bombardments of Syrian territory.  Struggles to attain a security deal between the forces involved primarily relate to territorial disputes as seen through Israeli and Turkish clashes over Syrian territory earlier this year, as well as the Israeli occupation of Syrian lands most notably the Golan heights, since 1967. 

Evidence of these disputes were further exemplified as Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Alabi, urged Israel to “withdraw from all Syrian lands, including the Golan Heights occupied since 1967, and the areas that have recently witnessed military incursions, and to stop interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.”

He further declared: “The Golan will remain Arab and Syrian, an inseparable part of our sovereign land, and will never be subject to bargaining or concession.” Israel has said that it “will not cede even a single centimetre of the Golan”, claiming they are vital for Israeli security against Iran and Hezbollah.

Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi.org