Fyodor Lukyanov: Moral arguments fade as Israel pursues power<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\nIn recent weeks, Damascus and West Jerusalem had come close to agreeing on the broad outlines of a pact after months of US-brokered discussions. US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday that they were already close to striking a “de-escalation”<\/em> agreement.<\/p>\nUnder the terms, Israel would stop its attacks while Syria would agree not to place any machinery or heavy equipment near the Israeli border. A demilitarized zone would include the province of Sweida, where hundreds of people from the Druze community were killed in recent months.<\/p>\n
The talks come as Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted Assad, made a landmark visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. He voiced hope for a security agreement, adding that Damascus is not “creating problems for Israel.”<\/em> “We are scared of Israel, not the other way around,”<\/em> he claimed.<\/p>\nSharaa also downplayed prospects for a more historic agreement in which Syria would recognize Israel.<\/p>\n
West Jerusalem, which has a 120,000-strong Druze minority whose men serve in the Israeli military, has said it will protect Druze in Syria and carried out military strikes under the banner of defending them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sources have claimed that discussions broke down over West Jerusalem\u2019s territorial demands Negotiations between Israel and Syria have “hit a last-minute snag” over the former’s demand that it be allowed a secure conduit on Syrian territory, several Reuters sources have said. Israel had asked to open a “humanitarian corridor” to…<\/p>\n
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