Momentum builds for Israel-Syria peace as Trump reboots regional diplomacy

For the first time Syrians are openly calling for peace with Israel In an interview with Fox News Digital journalist Furat Alali from Damascus explained We want a future without wars We want to live People are not afraid to speak up anymore Her report reflects a vital shift in the country s political landscape as various Syrians begin to openly discuss the prospect of peace with Israel This change comes at a time when Syria and Israel are engaged in direct talks as Reuters revealed on Tuesday marking a dramatic departure from the decades-long hostility between the two nations Reuters revealed Israel and Syria have of late held direct meetings focused on prevention issues along their shared perimeter These talks represent a major step in the relationship between the two countries which have been adversaries for decades A WEAKENED HEZBOLLAH LEADS PARTICULAR IN LEBANON TO TALK OF PEACE WITH ISRAEL AS US PUSHES SIDES TOGETHERSources familiar with the discussions have indicated that the U S has played a pivotal role in facilitating these talks encouraging Syria s new leadership to engage with Israel The discussions come after a shift in U S plan following President Donald Trump s meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this month The meeting signaled a break from decades of U S hostility toward Syria s Assad regime and opened the door to anticipated normalization between Syria and Israel While the talks are still in the early stages Trump s engagement has raised the possibility of Syria s leadership eventually normalizing ties with Israel although this process will likely take time Furat Alali explained We don t want to be part of the Axis of Resistance anymore The Palestinian cause has been used to oppress us We feel sympathy for the Palestinians but now we need to focus on Syria and our future Lina Ali a -year-old pharmacist from Latakia advised Fox News Digital We feel for the people of Gaza We condemn the mass killings but we are in a different situation We are thinking about our own interests now The idea of exploiting the Palestinian cause to oppress the Syrian people has been rejected We are tired of this Another young woman interviewed by Jusoor News a Pan-Arab media outlet shared similar thoughts We are for anything that serves our country s interest We ve lived through complicated times The country s market is very weak It s time for people to live FALL OF SYRIA'S BASHAR ASSAD IS STRATEGIC BLOW TO IRAN AND RUSSIA EXPERTS SAYAn elderly Syrian man explained to Jusoor We ve spent - years preaching Arabism and liberating Palestine and what do we have to show for it Nothing It s time for peace The shift in Syria s stance on Israel is notable especially given the historical enmity between the two nations For decades Syria and Israel have been locked in conflict with the status of the Golan Heights remaining a key point of contention since its capture by Israel during the war Syria s involvement in the Axis of Resistance aligning with Iran and Hezbollah against Israel has been a cornerstone of its foreign protocol However the newest emergence of interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has raised new possibilities as well as concerns Furat Ali explained I was one of the journalists who extensively covered the violations of Jabhat al-Nusra before the fall of the Assad regime the group Al-Jolani emerged from using his previous name which was part of al-Qaeda I know exactly what they did So when I first heard that Al-Jolani was taking over Aleppo and challenging Assad I was scared But as time went on she added when he rebranded himself as Ahmed al-Sharaa and promised a new direction I saw he was smart He managed to convince the West to lift sanctions and engage with him bringing back international recognition for Syria While we remain skeptical and cautious what we re seeing from Sharaa domestically is so far being accepted Joseph Braude founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications highlighted the significance of the shift in population opinion within Syria He noted People in Syria and Lebanon often associate the Palestinian issue with dictators who exploited it to justify corruption and brutality There is a growing rejection of pro-Palestinian militancy as plenty of people now desire to turn the page and focus on new partnerships aimed at advancing their own countries We believe that it has become a majority view in Syria that if peace with Israel brings economic expansion and improvements then it s worth pursuing He also pointed out that in countries dominated by Iran and its militias ordinary people have the clearest understanding of the harm these groups cause They are among the bulk eager for a different future increasingly calling for peace Braude added As one man interviewed by Jusoor News put it We ve suffered years of oppression and war It s time for reconstruction We need peace with everyone another Syrian added I assistance normalization a million percent If normalization with Israel or America or whoever can bring us comfort then I m on board We just want peace