Al-Shara's Busy Week
A meeting between the Syrian Foreign Minister and the head of the Mossad, the restoration of full economic cooperation with the United States, and a session with the commander of the Kurdish army in the country. Syria is "firing" in all directions.
The week has been filled with significant events for Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara and his Foreign Minister, Assad Hassan Al-Shibani. On Sunday, the head of the Mossad, Roman Gofman, met face-to-face with Al-Shibani in a meeting that reportedly took place in Amman. Every detail of this encounter arouses curiosity, as its true content has not been revealed. The Jordanian involvement is also fascinating: the Jordanians, known for their discretion, maintain security cooperation with their Israeli counterparts but have zero ties with the office of Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the middle of the week, President Donald Trump surprised everyone by announcing the cancellation of all prohibitions on economic cooperation between the USA and Syria. From now on, American and European (linked to the USA) investors, factory owners, and entrepreneurs will be able to do business as they please in Syria. It is no secret that Syria needs hundreds of millions of dollars to rehabilitate bombed buildings, renew exports, and establish industrial plants. Until now, Donald Trump had insisted—despite bestowing flattering titles upon the Syrian president—on keeping his finger on the switch of the "Caesar Act," which restricts trade. As of this week, the law has expired.
Israel is watching the "People's Palace" in Damascus, the site of the presidential offices and the residence of the Al-Shara family, with great attention. After the Syrian president announced that he would not send security forces to manage battles in Lebanon against ISIS and Iranian creeping efforts, the White House reacted with caution—neither Israel nor Syria is ready to enter a frontal battle. As Al-Shara clarified: "We have enough common troubles with the Lebanese. First, we need to mark the common border, then fight together against the smuggling of weapons and drugs, and then everyone will be kind enough to stay in their own country."
The latest move made by the Syrian president, who took power about a year and a half ago, is particularly bold. After exploratory talks and secret meetings, the senior military commander of the Kurds in northern Syria, Mazloum Abdi, was invited this week to a meeting at the "People's Palace," located on Mount Mezze in western Damascus. This palace was previously used by the Assad family and is currently used for official hosting and the residence of the new president.
According to the plan, the Kurdish army (over 60,000 soldiers and two thousand officers) will merge into the Syrian army to create a cohesive force. Abdi will now begin a new era as one of the Syrian president's deputies. He announced the dismantling of the Kurdish fighting units and their merger into the Syrian army. There is a non-trivial communication problem: the Kurds speak their own language, which the Syrians do not master. The supreme commander of the unified army will be President Al-Shara. A solution has also been found for the 150,000 women fighters in the ranks of the Peshmerga: they will be integrated in northwestern Syria under the patronage of the Syrian Ministry of Interior. Furthermore, the Kurdish politician Ilham Ahmed is expected to be appointed as a member of the Syrian parliament or receive a ministerial portfolio.
