Syria Seeks Peace with Israel Through UN Resolutions
The potential agreement could reset Syria's regional relations, with a non-aggression agreement considered a possible first step, although Israel has said that the Golan Heights will remain part of the country under any future peace agreement, a stance that may complicate the negotiations.
Residents of the Golan Heights are demanding peace with Israel based on UN resolutions, including full Israeli withdrawal and implementation of related international resolutions, as Syria's new government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, engages in talks with Israel facilitated by the UAE.
The Golan Forum for Construction and Development, led by Muammar Faisal Nahar, is coordinating with the Syrian state to form an independent civil and political body to coordinate with Israel, while rejecting any talk of peace without full Israeli withdrawal and implementation of international resolutions. The forum's statement emphasizes the need for a popular referendum to delegate the transitional government in Syria in any negotiation process.
Syria's primary goal in the talks is to cease Israeli aggression and achieve a withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Israel, on the other hand, is seeking a security agreement with a framework towards a total peace plan. A return to a peace deal, similar to the 1974 ceasefire, is considered the most realistic option, although normalization is seen as a more challenging step due to the deep enmity between the two countries.
As the talks progress, Syrian state media has dismissed reports of a potential peace deal with Israel as "premature", emphasizing the need for Israel to withdraw from occupied areas and adhere to the 1974 armistice agreement. The Syrian government has stated that it does not seek conflict with its neighbors and is seeking to re-implement the 1974 armistice agreement, which ended the Yom Kippur War.