Israel is making an attempt to break the ice with its northern neighbors, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressing interest in establishing formal diplomatic relations with Syria and Lebanon. Saar’s announcement on Monday indicates Israel’s desire to seize opportunities presented by Iran’s perceived weakening after the recent 12-day war and the overthrow of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
However, a critical aspect of this outreach is Israel’s unwavering stance on the Golan Heights, which Saar declared non-negotiable. This territory, captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, remains a highly contentious issue, as most of the international community regards it as occupied Syrian land, despite President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty.
This diplomatic initiative builds on the success of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which formalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Yet, these agreements faced considerable unpopularity across the Arab world, underscoring the deep public sentiment tied to the Palestinian issue, which could complicate future normalization efforts.
Indeed, a senior Syrian official has firmly linked any normalization to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Israel’s Foreign Minister, however, countered that conditioning normalization on Palestinian statehood is “not constructive” and a security threat, exposing a fundamental ideological divide that poses a major hurdle to breaking the ice.