Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine), 02.01.2025
After more than 13 years of civil war, Syria is unable to go to war with Israel. Yet, the declarations of the new regimes of readiness to have normal relations with Israel and the appeal to the U.S. to influence Israel are worrying signs of the direction the HTS wants to go. This direction will enable Israel to continue the new occupation of the Golan and attack any attempt of Syria to arm itself with heavy modern weapons that Israel attacks.
The governor of Damascus, Maher Muhammad Marwan, said this during an interview with the NPR on December 24, 2024:
“Our problem is not with Israel,” Governor of Damascus Maher Marwan, appointed by the new administration in Syria, tells NPR. “We don’t want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel’s security or any other country’s security[i].” At the same time, Israel has been striking strategic military installations in Syria since the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad fell earlier this month. The governor said it was understandable that Israel was concerned when the new Syrian government took power because of certain “factions.”Israel may have felt fear at the beginning,” Marwan said. ” So, it advanced a little, bombed a little,” Marwan called on Washington to share HTS’ message with Israel. “There exists a people who want peace and not disputes. [ii]
In addition to Israel’s strikes on military installations, it also has seized parts of the Golan Heights, stoking fears in Syria of annexation. And yet Marwan called Israel’s fear “natural.”
“This is good news … very, very remarkable,” Uzi Rabi, a senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University in Israel, said of Marwan’s remarks to NPR. Rabi said the overture is noteworthy considering Syria’s historic opposition to Israel’s existence and reflects the pragmatism of Syria’s new leadership: it must rehabilitate the country and cannot afford a war with Israel” [iii]
A U.S. delegation met with Sharaa in Damascus last week and announced that a $10 million bounty would be lifted off the Syrian leader’s head. A U.S. official told NPR that the U.S. relayed HTS’ message but that Washington has not urged either country in any direction.
“Israel is taking measures to ensure that the security of its citizens is maintained,” the statement from the Foreign Ministry said. “We advise the international community to remember that Syria’s new ruling power seized large parts of Syria by force. It was not democratically elected. It has long-standing historical ties to al-Qaida. This is an extremist Islamist regime that simply moved from Idlib to Damascus.”The statement added: “The USA has not pressured Israel to act differently.” [iv]
“Rabi said Israel’s cautious response reflects a “loss of confidence” in the viability of peace after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. However, he predicted Israel might engage in dialogue with the new Syrian leadership through confidence-building measures in the coming months, leading to “semi-normalization” of relations through security cooperation along the border.” [v]
The statement of Marwan did not mention one word on the genocide of the Palestinians. It is one thing not to go to war with Israel today, but a very different one to want normalization with the Zionist monster.
Lenin gave an example: If a robber demands money and you are unarmed, you give him the money, but it is very different from joining him. We are warning the Syrian workers and poor peasants not to trust the direction the HTS is leading. Demand a revolutionary constituent assembly and organize action committees in every village and neighborhood. Do not give your weapons.
To complete the revolution, a worker backed by the poor peasant’s government is a must!
Nationalize the large factories and banks under workers’ control!
Land to the poor peasants!
Endnotes:
[i] https://www.npr.org/2024/12/27/g-s1-40144/syria-israel-relations-hts-damascus-governor
[ii] Ibid
[iii] Ibid
[iv] Ibid
[v] Ibid