Syria-Israel: Security Talks Expected – State of Negotiations

The Role of the Golan Heights

The rapprochement is taking place against the backdrop of indirect contacts that had been held via intermediaries. Among the issues said to have played a role were questions of demilitarization on the Golan Heights, the stabilization of the shared border, and the situation in the Damascus region.

Israel and Syria had not held any direct security talks for decades. The Golan Heights, which Israel has partially controlled since 1967 and annexed in 1981, are a central point of dispute. Syria claims the territory in full; international recognition of the annexation is limited.

The announcement from Damascus comes at a stage in which the USA and Turkey are receding into the background as external actors. Both countries had previously been active as mediators between Israel and Arab states, for example within the framework of the so-called Abraham Accords. A direct Syrian-Israeli negotiating track would supplement these existing formats.

Reactions from Israel So Far

Observers assess the announcement as a cautiously positive signal but stress that concrete results are still pending. Neither Israel nor Syria has publicly confirmed the timing, the venue, or the agenda of the planned talks. Nor have there been any official statements on whether the talks will be conducted directly or continue to be held indirectly.

Al-Shaibani also commented on the domestic political framework in Syria. He pointed out that the new Syrian leadership under Ahmed al-Sharaa is seeking a fresh start in foreign policy and is prioritizing dialogue with neighboring states and regional powers.

On the Israeli side, there has so far been no statement on the announced security talks. Sources in government circles in Jerusalem merely said that developments in Damascus were being closely monitored. No date for a meeting at the ministerial level was mentioned.

Outlook on the Talks

US Special Envoy Tom Barrack had most recently spent time in the region on several occasions in order to improve relations between Syria and Israel as well as between Syria and Turkey. According to current information, no direct involvement of Washington in the upcoming talks is planned.

Should the security talks actually take place, they would constitute the first formal dialogue of this kind since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. At that time, Israel had significantly reinforced its border installations with Syria and repeatedly carried out airstrikes against Iranian and pro-Iranian positions in the neighboring country.

Both sides are under international scrutiny. The United Nations, the European Union, and several Arab states have in the past supported a normalization of relations between Israel and Syria in principle, while at the same time pointing to the need for a comprehensive peace agreement.

Which concrete topics will be on the agenda remains open. In addition to security issues, economic cooperation, the water question in the border area, and the situation of the Syrian population in the border region could also play a role.