OPINION:
At a Monday press conference in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed interest in establishing formal diplomatic relations with Syria. Mr. Sa’ar conveyed his desire to expand the Abraham Accords, in which Israel normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, while maintaining “Israel’s essential and security interests.” On the same day, President Trump signed an executive order rescinding most U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria since the 1970s.
However, Syria must guarantee the rights of its minorities before it is allowed to join the Abraham Accords.
Israel is in communication with Syria in at least four ways: through Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, the Israel Defense Forces, Mossad chief David Barnea, and Mr. Sa’ar, according to Axios.
The Trump administration’s promotion of peace in the war-torn Middle East should certainly be welcomed, but the efforts are taking place after the deadliest attack against Syria’s Christians since the fall of Bashar Assad’s dictatorship. On June 22, during Sunday Mass at the Greek Orthodox Church of Prophet Elias in Damascus, an armed terrorist opened fire on churchgoers before detonating an explosive vest. Twenty-five Christian worshippers were killed, including women and children, and more than 60 were injured.
The church, built in the eighth century, sustained major damage. Photographs show a heavily damaged altar and pews covered in broken glass.
Although interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, condemned the massacre and offered his condolences, the attack has increased security fears for Syria’s religious minorities. At a funeral for the victims, Syria’s top Christian leader, Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X (Yazigi) of Antioch, said Mr. al-Sharaa’s government bore responsibility for failing to protect the country’s minorities.
“With love and with all due respect, Mr. President, you spoke yesterday by phone … to express your condolences. That is not enough for us,” the patriarch said at the funeral, drawing applause.
Syrian forces have massacred 1,500 members of Syria’s Alawite minority, and the chain of command leads directly to Damascus, a recent Reuters investigation found.
This is not surprising, given that these actions align with the terrorist ideology that Mr. al-Sharaa espoused for years before assuming power in Syria. As leader of the jihadi Nusra Front, he told Al Jazeera in a 2015 interview that he would impose Shariah law over the country and that the Alawites and the Druze, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, would have to “correct their doctrinal mistakes and embrace Islam.”
The Druze in Syria have also suffered greatly at the hands of Mr. al-Sharaa and other jihadis, culminating in a string of suicide bombings that killed more than 220 people. Terrorists from the Islamic State group kidnapped Druze girls and women, and a particularly horrific video circulating among the Druze community depicts Islamic State terrorists beheading a 17-year-old Druze girl.
The future of one of the oldest Christian communities on earth, dating back to the first century, looks increasingly bleak. Paul the Apostle’s conversion took place on the road to Damascus, and the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” in Antioch. Syria itself was once a stronghold of Christianity, with Christians making up most of the population for centuries before the advent of Islam. Before the Syrian civil war, Christians comprised roughly 10% of Syria’s population, which was about 1.5 million people. Estimates now suggest that the number has dropped to about 2.8% of the population, or about 300,000 people.
If Mr. al-Sharaa has proved himself to be untrustworthy when it comes to the mistreatment of Syria’s minority groups, should the U.S. and Israel continue to dedicate time and resources to strengthening their relationship with Syria? Joining the Abraham Accords must be contingent on Mr. al-Sharaa’s ability and willingness to protect Syria’s Christian population and other religious minorities. At the very least, this pattern of bad behavior by the al-Sharaa regime must not continue to be rewarded.
• Bradley Martin is the executive director of the Near East Center for Strategic Studies.
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