Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has charmed world capitals with pragmatic diplomacy, from a White House visit to neutral dealings with Russia and Iran, but has used his global popularity to rule through centralization that has crushed Syrian minorities. Sharaa is now commendably reaching out to Israel. His outreach raises fears that he wants to leverage a possible thaw in relations with Jerusalem to weaken his country’s Druze, whose suspicions continued to build after the mysterious killing of one of their own, last week, and government stonewalling. Until Sharaa reaches a credible accommodation with the Druze, Israel is well-advised to remain wary of deeper ties with Damascus.

Since taking power in December 2024, Sharaa has built strong ties with regional capitals and Washington. He became the first Syrian leader in decades to visit the White House despite his past as an Al-Qaeda fighter against US troops in Iraq. Washington lifted broad sanctions that had long damaged the Syrian economy. 

Sharaa also turned the page with Russia, traveling to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin even as the West remained distant over Ukraine. Sharaa has kept his foreign policy focused on economic rebuilding rather than ideology.

With Iran, Sharaa has avoided direct confrontation despite old grievances from the civil war. He stays out of the wider US-Iran conflict and........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)