Rabat — US President Donald Trump focused on Syria-Israel normalization as a key point during his meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Riyadh.
The meeting came just one day after Trump’s surprise announcement of lifting long-standing sanctions against Damascus.
Trump met al-Sharaa in the first face-to-face encounter between American and Syrian presidents, lasting for 30-minutes.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the meeting in person, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan participated virtually.
Syria’s normalization of ties with Israel faces significant challenges, as al-Sharaa, who came to power in December when his Islamist coalition overthrew Bashar al-Assad, leads a government traditionally unfriendly toward Israel.
In their post-meeting statement, Syrian officials noticeably avoided mentioning Israeli relations, instead stressing discussions about sanctions relief and counterterrorism efforts.
However, the Jerusalem Post reported senior Syrian official Ali Al-Rifai saying in an interview with KAN News that his country is committed to peace with all its neighbors, in a way that some analysts said hints at a possible normalization of ties with Israel.
In the interview, Al-Rifai told KAN, “Syria strives to establish peace in the region. As a nation, we genuinely want peace. Syria does not want war. We want peace with everyone.”
Trump’s Israel-focused demands didn’t stop at diplomatic recognition. He also urged al-Sharaa to expel Palestinian armed groups from Syrian territory.
Critics question whether Damascus will actually pursue normalization with Israel, despite Trump’s economic incentives, including a historic rollback of sanctions.
Read also: Trump Ends Sanctions on Syria, Urges New Start Amid Shifting Middle East Alliances
“We’re giving Syria a chance at greatness,” Trump said when announcing the sanctions shift on Tuesday, a decision strongly supported by Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
The sanctions, in place since 1979 but intensified after Assad’s 2011 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, have devastated Syria’s economy.
Trump’s meeting was just on stop on his larger high-level tour throughout the Middle East, which in addition to Saudi Arabia includes Qatar and the UAE. The US president has already signed bulky of agreements and exchanged friendly talks with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including a second-to-none $142 billion in defense sales.
Trump says that this is “the largest defense sales agreement in history,” though economists and critics still assert that there needs to be more details of the numbers to validify this statement.
The reported numbers are high in deals with Qatar as well. The Qatari royal family plans to gift Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 worth around $400 million – which raised eyebrows from critics concerned this is a bribe – as the two countries signed an aviation agreement for 210 jets and $38 billion in future defense investment.
