Expanded U.S. Sponsorship of Israeli-Syrian Negotiations in Paris

SadaNews - Israel and Syria have agreed to accelerate the pace of negotiations to reach a new security agreement between the two countries, according to informed Israeli and American officials.

Attending the meeting on Tuesday in Paris were U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Brack, and President Trump's advisors Steve Wittkow and Jared Kushner.

A senior Israeli official told Axios that Israel and Syria agreed at the meeting to increase the pace of negotiations, hold more frequent meetings, and take measures to build trust between the two countries.

The official added that "the two delegations expressed their desire to reach a security agreement that aligns with President Trump's vision for the Middle East."

The site quoted a U.S. official stating: The United States proposed to Syria and Israel to establish a joint operations room in Jordan to handle security situations in southern Syria, where this room will host disarmament talks in southern Syria and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, focusing on diplomatic discussions and military, intelligence, and trade relations.

He confirmed that the United States would act as a mediator in the joint operations room between Syria.

This was the fifth round of U.S.-sponsored talks and the first in two months, after the talks had reached a deadlock with significant gaps remaining.

President Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return to the negotiating table during their meeting last week in Florida.

The Israeli negotiating team included Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yayael Leiter, Netanyahu's military secretary Roman Govman, and acting National Security Advisor Gil Reich.

The Syrian team included Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein Salama.

On the other hand, political sources in Tel Aviv stated that the Americans, who were not surprised by the significant gap in the positions of both parties, had presented some suggestions to facilitate progress towards security understandings.

The sources revealed that the Israeli side had proposed red lines on one hand and green lines on the other. According to Maariv newspaper, the red lines included Syrian demands for the return of territories occupied in 1967 (the Golan) and part of the territories occupied in 2024 (mainly the peaks of Mount Sheikh).

However, it showed willingness to withdraw from some of the territories occupied in 2024 and amend the 1974 disengagement agreement. It sets a strict condition that it will not withdraw from any land without explicit security guarantees, including combating terrorist elements, preventing the use of Syrian territory as a launchpad for attacks on Israel, and complete disarmament.

Maariv's report indicated that the Syrians refused to accept any occupation, but the Americans understood the Israeli position, considering it "temporary until reaching a peace agreement." However, the Syrian delegation stated that "everything temporary turns into eternal," as evident from negotiations with Israel over the years.

The sources clarified that the Americans, who are now convinced that Syria will not agree to a peace agreement under the current Israeli terms that require conceding the Golan, nor will it join the Abraham Accords as long as there is occupied land. Therefore, they are looking for a memorandum of limited security understandings, but sufficient to reduce security tension and stop violating Syrian sovereignty over its territory.

The sources stated that the Americans are trying to bridge the gap between the two parties and are actively working to make these negotiations a turning point in relations between the two countries, towards a new phase that is more peaceful and less confrontational.