Middle East Press On: Israelis, Gaza, Jews, Palestinians, US, Syria and Antisemitism: New Age Islam's Selection, 20 March 2025
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
20 Mar. 25
· Israelis didn't question attacking Gaza on Oct. 7, they are now
· What will happen if US military aid to Israel needs to end?
· Confronting hate: How Jewish communities resist antisemitism in the US
· The Jews, not Palestinians, were the ones who suffered ethnic cleansing
· The world is no longer buying Netanyahu’s rhetoric
· US should give Syria the chance to get back on its feet
· Iran-US tensions rise: What to expect?
· What's new this Ramadan in Syria?
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Israelis Didn't Question Attacking Gaza On Oct. 7, They Are Now
By Jpost Editorial
March 20, 2025
On October 6, 2023, Israel was as divided as ever.
Tens of thousands demonstrated against the government’s judicial reform plan every Saturday night. Air force reservists declared they would not report for duty. Doctors, tech entrepreneurs, and the upwardly mobile were talking about leaving the country and joining WhatsApp groups dedicated to that purpose.
Then Hamas invaded, and all that – at least temporarily – melted away. When the army sent out emergency call-up notices, everyone responded. Even those who weren’t summoned showed up to push back the enemy, repel them across the border, and take the battle to them.
This was the ultimate war of “no choice.” Israel was brutally and viciously attacked and had no alternative but to respond with overwhelming force. No one questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to bomb Gaza by air and then launch a ground invasion. It was seen as the only course of action.
Nobody said Netanyahu went to war for political reasons – to shift public focus from the judicial reform debate or to quell the protests.
It was clear: Israel attacked because it had to. Soldiers were willing to risk their lives because they realized that this was a war of no choice – either Israel fights and wins, or the country’s existence is in peril. That conviction – that there were no ulterior motives and no choice but to fight – was vital and contributed to the staggering mobilization rates and battlefield successes.
Sense of necessity no longer shared by Israelis
But now, as Israel enters a new stage of the war – marked by Tuesday’s surprise bombing in Gaza – that same sense of necessity is no longer universally shared by Israelis. As a result, the national unity that accompanied the first military actions in Gaza in October 2023 is no longer in the air.
First, there are the hostages who have returned – like Yarden Bibas – urging Israel not to reengage in the fighting, knowing from personal experience it will worsen conditions for the 22 to 24 remaining captives believed to be alive.
Then there are the hostages’ families or at least some of them – this is not a monolithic group as is often portrayed in the media – who fear renewed fighting will endanger their loved ones or lead Hamas to kill them.
And then there are Netanyahu’s critics – those who always assume the absolute worst about his motives – who are shouting from every microphone and at every protest that this sudden escalation is less about rescuing hostages and more about saving his government.
First, there are the hostages who have returned – like Yarden Bibas – urging Israel not to reengage in the fighting, knowing from personal experience it will worsen conditions for the 22 to 24 remaining captives believed to be alive.
Then there are the hostages’ families or at least some of them – this is not a monolithic group as is often portrayed in the media – who fear renewed fighting will endanger their loved ones or lead Hamas to kill them.
And then there are Netanyahu’s critics – those who always assume the absolute worst about his motives – who are shouting from every microphone and at every protest that this sudden escalation is less about rescuing hostages and more about saving his government.
Why is the timing so critical? Because the budget must be passed by March 31, or the government will collapse.
Without Otzma Yehudit’s support and voting for the government, Netanyahu would have a 62-58 majority – razor-thin, especially considering that three Agudat Yisrael MKs were threatening to withhold their votes if the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription/exemption bill isn’t passed by then.
Bringing Ben-Gvir and his party back gives the government some much-needed breathing room. Was this Netanyahu’s calculation? There is no way to know for sure. Those inclined to defend him will say, of course not – he wouldn’t risk lives to preserve his government. Those less charitable will say, of course, it was.
What is clear is that the timing does nothing to bolster national unity or reinforce the idea that this operation was unavoidable – both essential elements when launching a major military action. On October 7, no one questioned Netanyahu’s reasons for going to war. Now, many do – undermining the sense of national purpose and solidarity that was once so clear.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-846759
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What Will Happen If Us Military Aid To Israel Needs To End?
By Eric R. Mandel
March 20, 2025
In the post-October 7 world, Israel needs to think ahead, even as the war continues on seven fronts. It has already come to the realization that pre-emptive actions must supersede deterrence, as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran have never been dissuaded by fear of reprisals. Next on the agenda is long-term planning for Israel’s military needs for the next 25 years, and where the resources will come from.
In less than four years, America’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for military and missile defence aid to Israel will expire. Since the agreement was signed, the Middle East, the American political landscape, and Israel’s military needs have changed dramatically.
Israel, with American help, has significantly degraded Hamas and Hezbollah’s military capabilities and leadership, as well as Iran’s air defence systems. Since October 7, the US went far beyond the terms of the MOU to resupply Israel’s depleted munitions and Iron Dome and David Sling missile interceptors, with supplemental appropriations passed with bipartisan congressional support.
For the majority on both sides of the congressional aisle, military aid to Israel is a cornerstone of the strength of the US-Israel relations for our indispensable friend living in a troubled region. Even as the US decreases foreign funding, most legislators want to continue future financing for the MOUs.
However, there is a small but growing minority in America who want to reduce all foreign military funding (FMF), so now should be a time for those who want to continue US funding to remind colleagues of the merits and advantages of providing military aid to Israel, and how it benefits the United States.
Calls to phase out US military aid to Israel
The Heritage Foundation’s recent call to slowly phase out military aid to Israel as part of a strategy to “reorient” America’s relationship “with Israel to an equal strategic partnership over the next two decades” has caused much controversy. The Israeli ambassador to the US and the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman withdrew from the conference scheduled to discuss the plan, causing Heritage to postpone the meeting.
Although the timing of the announcement was poor, raising such a contentious issue with our primary ally still fighting a seven-front war was particularly upsetting. However, decreasing military aid over time has some appeal for fiscal hawks and progressives for very different reasons. As long as the partnership between the nations remains strong, incrementally decreasing aid is not a death knell but could be an opportunity.
IN THE past, I have spoken about the benefits and risks of slowly decreasing military aid to strengthen the relationship from dependency to equal partnership, with the caveat that during times of war, exceptions can be made to expedite military aid with one-time grants. Keeping Israel strong is in America’s interest as a powerful Israel stabilizes the region and decreases the need for US boots on the ground. Being the only democracy in the region makes the Jewish state an indispensable ally.
I have discussed the ramifications of ending funding with Israeli political, defence, and intelligence leaders, who are aware of the challenges of being both too dependent or too independent of Israel’s closest and increasingly only ally in the world. Former president Joe Biden’s slow-walking of resupplying Israeli munitions was a defining moment.
There are voices in Israel that also believe that the Jewish state should end US military aid. Retired IDF Maj.-Gen. Gershon Hacohen said “Once we are not economically dependent on [America], the partnership can flourish on its own merits.” The Institute for National Security Studies think tank issued a report saying “Aid to Israel has never been an act of charity or a payment extorted by ‘the lobby,’ but a tool to advance American interests.”
The last MOU negotiated was a double-edged sword for Israel. Previous ones allowed Israel to use 26% of the aid for its defence industries. Ending this benefit caused small, innovative Israeli defence firms to adapt, merge, or go out of business, with job losses estimated in the tens of thousands. What Israel’s critics do not appreciate is that almost all of the military assistance Israel now receives is spent in the US, strengthening America’s defence industry while creating tens of thousands of American jobs.
Israel needs America, and America needs Israel for each of their national security interests. Phasing out military aid will not end the importance of the alliance, but could allow the relationship to evolve, mature, and strengthen.
Jerusalem purchasing military hardware from its best friend with its resources, while Washington reciprocates and pays for Israeli technological advancements of our military hardware tested in war conditions, is a win-win for both countries. Israeli advancements to our F-35 program, cybersecurity, the Iron Dome developed in Israel that is now part of our defence system, and unrivalled shared intelligence are just a few examples of the indispensable need to strengthen the partnership.
ISRAEL IS an unrivalled test lab for our weaponry in action that has saved American soldiers’ lives, improving our capabilities to win battles decisively and harming shared adversaries like Iran. One specific area that should be addressed if funding is phased out is an assurance that America will continue to sell weapons systems that allow Israel to maintain its Qualitative Military Edge.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, QME requires America to maintain Israel’s ability “to defeat any credible conventional military threat… the United States must ensure any weapons it provides to other countries in the Middle East do not compromise Israel’s QME... QME has also ensured that Israel is the first in the region to receive access to the most sophisticated US military weapons and platforms, such as the F-35 stealth fighter.”
The Heritage report “From Special Relationship to Strategic Partnership,” called for a “new regional architecture” that would create a strategic alliance incorporating Arab allies and Israel. According to Jewish Insider, the report will “fundamentally alter Israel’s geostrategic position. No longer will it be isolated and left on its own to respond to threats on its borders or those farther afield.” A strategic alliance with Arab nations against shared adversaries like Iran should be a US priority regardless of the debate concerning foreign military funding.
However, the symbolism and how the Axis of Aggressors – Iran, China, and Russia – will interpret America’s decreasing military aid to Israel must be taken into consideration, because if it is perceived as a weakness, it is an invitation for war. Iran and much of the Arab world have strategic patience, waiting years or decades to find an opening to take advantage of an adversary. Therefore, it is essential that a phase-out of aid is rolled out so as not to leave any room for doubt that the US-Israel relationship is still unbreakable with written promises of security guarantees and emergency support during hostilities.
THE HERITAGE document should not be confused with the far-Left call to end military aid to Israel. Just six weeks before the October 7 massacre, the flagship progressive magazine The Nation told progressive lawmakers that “Cutting US aid to Israel doesn’t go nearly far enough…only by conditioning US aid alongside more assertive punitive measures such as divestment and sanctions can the US effectively pressure Israel.”
There is little doubt the Democratic Party of the future will increasingly question military aid to Israel, as young progressives indoctrinated in US universities see the Jewish state as an illegitimate colonizer, and their numbers will only increase as they mature into more leadership positions.
On November 8, 2023, less than a month after the Hamas attack, when Israelis were still reeling and processing the existential threat from Hamas, the majority of Democratic members of the Senate wrote a letter to president Biden demanding to know whether Israel was acting according to international humanity law and supporting assistance that would advance a two-state solution. Making these demands for Palestinians who had just committed the worst day of murder in Jewish history since the Holocaust is not a good omen for the day when the pendulum swings and they control the executive branch and Congress.
Ending military aid to Israel could move from the fringes of American politics to the mainstream. For the Democratic party, it will be as a punishment for Israel’s occupation of the disputed territories. For Republicans, it will be perceived as essential cost savings so monies can be used at home. Regardless of the reason, now is the time for Israel to address this issue head-on before a future Republican isolationist or Progressive Democratic president takes the initiative first with a compliant Congress.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-846690
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Confronting Hate: How Jewish Communities Resist Antisemitism In The Us
By Alyssa Annis
March 20, 2025
Eighty years ago, American soldiers liberated some of the darkest places on Earth – concentration camps. They saw the horrors of the Holocaust with their own eyes. For many survivors, these soldiers were more than just liberators – they were saviours, the first bright light in years of darkness.
America became a refuge, a safe haven, and a country that stood against hatred to protect the future; a country that worked to build a world of coexistence and was proud of its different cultures.
Today, as I travel through the US, I see a different nation – one that seems to have turned its back on the very people it once rescued. A country where freedom of speech is often prioritized over safety and security, where the rise of antisemitism is undeniable.
For the first time in years, I feel a sense of fear wearing my Star of David in public. And yet, I wear it – because our Jewish ancestors faced far worse. But the fact that I even hesitate worries me. How did we get here?
Hate crimes against Jews in the US have surged. The Anti-Defamation League reported a nearly 400% increase in anti-Semitic incidents following the October 7 attacks. Universities, the homes of our future leaders, have become places where Jewish students face hostility. Just recently, thousands of students, many from highly ranked institutions, took to the streets – not to condemn terror but to defend a group that kidnapped and murdered infants.
What does this say about the next generation of leaders? About the moral compass of our society? How can we continue calling these academic institutions the Ivy League when they foster fear on their campuses for minority groups and when standing with terrorists is not deemed inappropriate?
Have we forgotten history? Forgotten the alliance that once made the US a beacon of hope for Holocaust survivors? America is home to the world’s second-largest Jewish community, and for decades, it has been one of the safest. But today, that sense of security is slipping away.
Defying antisemitism: Jewish resilience in the United States
Yet, as I walk through New York, I am reminded of resilience. Despite the statistics, despite the threats, I see people proudly wearing kippot. In airports, travellers pause to lay tefillin. Kosher restaurants display their signs with pride. The Jewish people have always endured, and they will again.
This past month, I had the honour of being part of a delegation in both New York and Pittsburgh – two communities grappling with the growing threat of antisemitism.
Yet, despite the fear, I was once again reassured by the faith, strength, and unwavering spirit that make these communities unbreakable. I saw allies stand in solidarity, and I saw Jewish communities standing stronger than ever, refusing to be silenced.
I walked through streets where synagogues were eager to shape the next generation of Jewish students. I met students who, despite facing hostility on their campuses, refused to hide their identity. I listened to survivors of past tragedies who reminded me that Jewish resilience is and always will be part of our identity.
I saw allies – Christians, Muslims, etc. – who stand in support with their Jewish neighbours, refusing to let hate win. In a world where history risks being forgotten, these communities choose to remember, to educate, and to fight back with an incredible amount of pride.
This is the America I still believe in and the one of which we should be proud.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-846666
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The Jews, Not Palestinians, Were The Ones Who Suffered Ethnic Cleansing
By Lyn Julius
March 19, 2025
Seventy-five years ago this month, the Iraqi Parliament passed a law permitting Jews to leave the country provided that they forfeited their citizenship. In March 1951, Law 5, passed in urgent session, froze the property of Iraqi Jews stripped of their citizenship.
Dozens more anti-Jewish laws were passed. Law 12 set up a Secretariat to manage confiscated Jewish property. From 1951-56, several decrees were passed, seizing, managing, disposing of and liquidating Jewish property. These decrees piled the pressure onto Jews still living in Iraq.
A recent report by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) valued the lost assets and property of Iraqi Jews at $34 billion at today’s prices.
Back in 1949, little did the Iraqi government realize that almost the entire community would register to go. The departing Jews were issued with a laissez-passer document as they boarded the airlift to Israel. It was effectively an expulsion order.
Expecting at most an exodus of 14,000 Jews, the regime did not imagine that Iraq would be emptied of them. But Jews had been so desperate to flee the country that they were risking heavy prison sentences in order to illegally cross the border into Iran. Iraq was haemorrhaging 1,000 Jews a month – and their money.
The regime had declared war on Israel, introduced draconian emergency laws against its own Jewish citizens, persecuted Zionists and communists, banned Jews from higher education, jobs and travel, and had executed Iraq’s wealthiest and best-connected non-Zionist Jew, Shafiq Ades, on trumped-up spying charges. Most worrying of all, in the febrile atmosphere of the time, the Jews feared a second Farhud, the massacre of 1941 that had claimed almost 200 Jewish lives.
President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Gazans be moved out has been greeted with a chorus of disapproval, not least from well-meaning liberal Jews. But it is forgotten that transfer is not a new idea – and that it has only ever been applied to Jews.
An exchange of Arabs and Jews
IRONICALLY ENOUGH, it was the Arab side that first mooted a population exchange in the Middle East. In 1949, Nuri al-Said took office as Iraqi prime minister and floated the idea that the 150,000 Jews of Iraq should be traded for the Arab refugees created by the war in Palestine, although Jews in Arab countries were non-combatants hundreds of miles away.
The Israeli foreign minister, Moshe Sharrett, initially refused any possible linkage between the two sets of refugees. The Israeli government thought it was a cynical ploy to seize the abandoned property of Iraqi Jews. The British ambassador at the time reported that a population exchange was acceptable to Israel in principle, but that the idea of exchanging 100,000 homeless (Palestinian) refugees for 100,000 (Jewish) refugees who would leave their assets behind was seen in Israel as extortion.
As it turned out, Iraq was bent on legalizing the dispossession of the Jewish community in any case. Some 130,000 Iraqi Jews fled to Israel; only 7,000 Palestinian refugees arrived in Iraq. By then, foreign minister Sharrett had accepted that there had been a linkage of refugee populations. By 1970, all the Arab countries had disgorged almost a million Jews, most of whom arrived destitute in Israel, stripped of their citizenship and assets. Jews from Arab and Muslim countries and their descendants now form over half of Israel’s Jews.
The charge of ethnic cleansing is habitually levelled at the Jewish state, although the Palestinian Arab population never ceases to rise. But true ethnic cleansing is what happened to the Jews, 99% of whom were driven out of their pre-Islamic communities in a single generation. On October 7, 2023, Hamas just sought to finish the job.
Nobody is suggesting that Gazans should be transferred forcibly. It would be enough if they were given the choice to leave of their own free will and resettle elsewhere, rather than be condemned to live among the rubble as hostages to the conflict with Israel. Roughly equal numbers of Jewish and Arab refugees (around 700,000) exchanged places within the region – just as Greeks and Turks had done in their war, as did Indians and Pakistanis. In the historical context of the Middle East, the exchange of Jewish and Arab refugees arising out of the Arab conflict with Israel was never completed. It is time that it was.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-846664
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The World Is No Longer Buying Netanyahu’s Rhetoric
Daoud Kuttab
March 19, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might think he can convince the world of the validity of his approach on Gaza but — as it has now become known even to most Israelis — no one is buying Bibi’s used goods.
For 17 months, Netanyahu has been running away from his internal problems, using Palestinian blood and his war criminal, US-supported army to help him.
Let us go over the facts first.
Israel on Tuesday unilaterally broke the ceasefire it had signed in January. The pre-dawn attack, which hit while those fasting for Ramadan were having their sahoor meal, killed and injured hundreds. Israeli fighters bombed locations throughout the Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire agreement signed by Israel and guaranteed by Qatar, Egypt and the Biden administration was partly made possible by Donald Trump and his aides. Trump took credit for his alleged role in making the ceasefire agreement.
One of the most important clauses was that Israel would begin negotiations for the second phase with the aim of ending the war. The time for these talks to begin passed and Israel did not show up.
The agreement considered this potential scenario and stated that, if no agreement on the second phase was struck, the ceasefire would continue and that no hostages need to be released. However, it is now claimed that the Palestinian resistance movement refused an offer to release five living hostages. Hamas, which last week held direct talks with American negotiators, instead agreed to release an Israeli American soldier and the bodies of four more dual nationals. But the fact America held talks with Hamas alone caused Israel to reject a deal that would have resulted in the release of an Israeli soldier.
Israel’s leader, just like the US president, continues to spew threats and demands about releasing all the hostages, even though Hamas is insisting on sticking to the signed agreement, which it has not violated.
The targets of the latest attacks were supposedly Hamas leaders, but the reality is that women and children again bore the brunt. Axios reported that some of those targeted were only “mid-level” Hamas commanders. Sure, the names of some top Hamas leaders were produced but, over the past year and a half, many Hamas leaders Israel claimed to have assassinated have miraculously appeared on live TV during the release of hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The war crime of killing a massive number of civilians occurred while another war crime was continuing: the collective punishment of nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Since March 2, Israel has placed the entire Gaza Strip under a hermetic, illegal siege. No food, water, medicine or humanitarian aid has been allowed in. Electricity, which is needed to power the only water purification plant still working in the Strip, was also cut off a week later.
As a result of this illegal siege, the price of basic food items has escalated. By midday on Tuesday, a carton of 30 eggs, which used to be sold for 9 shekels ($2.45), was being sold for a whopping 90 shekels, meaning individual eggs cost 3 shekels each. Tomatoes had risen in price from 10 shekels to 30 shekels and a bag of pita bread, after a three-hour wait, had doubled in price from 6 shekels to 12 shekels. A 25 kg sack of wheat, which used to be sold for 20 shekels, was being sold for 80 shekels.
Ordinary Gazans cannot afford to buy these basic food items. Meanwhile, the international community — including a president who says he is against wars — has given a green light to both the siege and the deadly attacks that killed hundreds of civilians. While the Trump administration is said to be trying to save allegedly encircled Ukrainian soldiers, the slaughter of Palestinians amid a deadly siege continues.
Israelis, especially the families of the hostages, have long been able to debunk the reasons given for such attacks. Meanwhile, former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who bolted out of the coalition when the ceasefire was signed in January, is now back in the government and seeking the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.
The saying “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” is apt for Netanyahu’s tireless efforts to hoodwink the world. Fortunately, the world is no longer fooled, however, most are not willing or able to put a stop to these war crimes couched in false justifications.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2594129
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Us Should Give Syria The Chance To Get Back On Its Feet
Dr. Amal Mudallali
March 19, 2025
Syria has a chance to get back on its feet after decades of brutal violence and oppression by the Assad family’s regime. But the country’s fate and Middle Eastern stability now hang on what the Syrian government and its partners and the international community, primarily the US, do or fail to do in the coming weeks and months.
Timothy Lenderking, a senior official in the State Department’s Senior Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, put it best last week when he delivered the keynote speech at a Middle East Institute conference on Syria in Washington. He challenged “American policymakers, including myself and my colleagues, to get this right because this is a pivotal moment in Syria and in the broader region.”
It is a critical time because the new administration in Washington is formulating its Syria policy.
The administration can rejoice in the US’ historic strategic gains in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime: Iran was driven out, Hezbollah lost its land route for supplies from Iran, and Russia has been weakened, with the future of its presence in Syria now tenuous at best. The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, last month welcomed the end of the “ring of fire,” which “had encircled Israel with terror proxies and instability for decades” and which “is now in ruins.”
The questions that the Trump administration is grappling with are related to its future relationship with the new Syria and its military presence there.
Syria experts in Washington believe there is a historic opportunity to stabilize the country and the region. They implore Washington to abandon its caution and engage with the interim government to put the Syrian Arab Republic on the right track by lifting sanctions and strengthening the government while it faces myriad challenges.
Sen. Risch captured the mood in Washington on Syria policy when he said: “There is a very real tradeoff between opportunity and risk. Too much engagement too soon could create more security dilemmas, but no or too little engagement could give Russia and Iran the ability to wield substantial influence again and also signal the US has no interest, which would be an incorrect assumption. Make no mistake, there are very real dangers to lifting sanctions too quickly.”
But a new report, “Reimagining Syria,” which was released by three think tanks at last week’s Middle East Institute conference, calls for giving Syria’s transition the “breathing space to succeed.” It advocates lifting US sanctions and argues that engagement has a bigger chance of “directing the scope and direction of change in Syria” than isolation.
Although the new Syrian leaders have said and done the right things so far, there are sceptics and others who, according to Natasha Hall of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, “want this Syrian government to fail and want chaos in Syria.” She believes that, with no sanctions relief, “there is no way this government survives.” Experts warn Washington not to drive the new Syria into the arms of Russia by maintaining the suffocating sanctions. Sceptics, on the other hand, see some of the actions of the government as concerning.
Unfortunately, the violence that recently took place on the Syrian coast strengthened the narrative of those sceptics who oppose sanctions relief. There is now a real danger that what happened might harden the position of Washington regarding lifting the sanctions.
So far, President Donald Trump has not weighed in on this issue, but the administration has been forward-leaning during this wait-and-see period, letting humanitarian aid flow into Syria while limiting other exports.
In January, the Biden administration granted limited sanctions relief for Syria for six months. Last week, the Trump administration gave the nod for Qatar to provide gas to Syria via Jordan to help with the country’s electricity supply, according to Reuters.
Moreover, the White House reportedly played a key role in negotiating the agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces that it supports, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcoming the move to “integrate the northeast into a unified Syria.”
But Syria is still being tested. Lenderking said Washington has “big questions about the interim authority in Damascus.” He added: “We are watching and cautiously engaging with this new leadership and (interim President Ahmad Al-) Sharaa to see if they are genuine.”
One of the tests is accountability for what happened on the coast. Lenderking said: “Accountability in Syria is not only a moral imperative, it is essential for stability and social cohesion. Sectarian violence and foreign fighters must not have any role in Syria’s future government or military.” The US wants the foreign fighters to be expelled from official posts and from the country “as a sign of commitment to Syrian and regional stability,” Lenderking said.
Syria has been under sanctions since 1979, but the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which targeted Bashar Assad and his government because of their brutality against the Syrian people, is now an impediment to helping the same Syrian people it was enacted to protect. The Syrian regime and its military apparatus have been dismantled, but it is proving difficult to stop the sanctions from tying the hands of the new interim government when it comes to jumpstarting the country and its economy.
Risch last month proposed a “gradual lifting of the Caesar sanctions” and called for the US to monitor how the new government acts. If all goes well, “we will continue in a stream of lifting those sanctions.” He accompanied this conditional and gradual lifting of the sanctions with five “vital security interests” for the US: not allowing the country to become a “launching pad for terror attacks against the United States or our partners;” permanently ejecting Russia and Iran from Syria; destroying Assad’s drug empire; accounting for American Syrians detained by the Assad regime; and ensuring there is no return to dictatorship.
But there are those who believe that the only way Damascus can get sanctions lifted is through starting talks with the Trump administration on joining the Abraham Accords, meaning normalizing relations with Israel, as Thomas Warrick of the Atlantic Council said in the MEI conference last week.
As Washington decides its Syria policy, it is good to remember that it is worth saving the strategic gains and pushing for a Syria that is open and democratic and not part of the Iran axis or a threat to its neighbours. This kind of Syria has not been a reality for more than half a century. President Trump should give Syria a chance and not listen to the old, rehashed views on the country.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2594112
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Iran-Us Tensions Rise: What To Expect?
By Mustafa Caner
Mar 20, 2025
With President Donald Trump entering his second term, the reinstated "maximum pressure" policy continues to escalate tensions between Iran and the United States. In February, the Trump administration imposed sanctions targeting Iran's oil sector. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the goal of these new sanctions was to "collapse its already buckling economy."
Meanwhile, the U.S. also implemented additional sanctions measures, such as ending the exemption previously granted to Iraq for importing electricity from Iran. The U.S. is known to be pressuring European powers to activate the snapback sanctions mechanism. On March 12, Britain's Deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki stated that they could initiate the snapback sanctions mechanism to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The snapback sanctions mechanism will expire on Oct.18, 2025. If the snapback mechanism is not activated before this date, these sanctions will be permanently lifted, allowing Iran relief from various international restrictions.
When sanctions and diplomatic pressures failed to yield the desired outcomes for Trump, the use of hard power came onto the agenda. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran sharply increased in the region after the U.S. heavily bombed Yemen starting March 15, and Israel sabotaged the Gaza cease-fire by resuming attacks as of March 17. The Trump administration also re-listed the Ansarullah organization, previously removed by former President Joe Biden's administration from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list, effective March 4, 2025. The administration holds Iran responsible for Houthi attacks on Israeli ships. President Trump has threatened that Iran itself will become a target and face "dire consequences" if these attacks continue.
Trump's unaccepted letter
In response to Trump's choice to use pressure and blackmail as tools to bring Iran to the negotiating table and his escalation of pressure on Iran, the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei banned negotiations with the U.S. in early February. Following this, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said they would adhere to the supreme leader's stance. Meanwhile, Javad Zarif, one of the symbolic figures of Iran's negotiation process with the U.S., submitted his resignation. Although Zarif's resignation was linked to an investigation regarding his children’s U.S. citizenship, it is widely acknowledged that closing the door to negotiations played a far more significant role in his decision.
While Iran took a firm stance with the argument that "we will not negotiate under pressure," President Trump sent a letter to Iran's religious leader Ali Khamenei, urging the start of negotiations. According to backchannel reports, the letter – delivered by the UAE’s Anwar Gargash – was written in a tone that breached diplomatic norms and was poorly received by Iranian officials. It was claimed that Trump presented maximalist demands to Iran, stating he would only come to the negotiating table if his conditions were met. In the following days, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during a visit to Oman, reportedly conveyed Iran’s response through Omani intermediaries, which was said to be negative. Trump’s alleged demands included Iran completely severing ties with regional armed groups it supports, shutting down its nuclear facilities, and imposing restrictions on its missile program.
In a speech on March 8, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reiterated that the country’s missile program is non-negotiable. Following Anwar Gargash’s delivery of Trump’s letter, Khamenei again emphasized that Iran would not enter into negotiations. During a speech on March 12, he stated that talks would not remove sanctions but would instead lead to their escalation. He also asserted that Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal confirmed the U.S. as an unreliable actor.
Iran prepares for worst
Meanwhile, Iran is attempting to consolidate its alliances on the Eastern front in response to U.S. pressure. On March 14, a meeting was held in Beijing, China, attended by deputy foreign ministers from Russia, China and Iran, which resulted in a resolution calling on the U.S. to lift sanctions and end pressure on Iran. Iran appears to have secured the backing of its Eastern allies to push for negotiations to be conducted through a multilateral framework.
Simultaneously, the Iranian government, which is also striving to manage internal political balances, continues to avoid enforcing a law – passed by Parliament – that imposes severe penalties on women not wearing the hijab. Despite relentless pressure from conservatives, the Supreme National Security Council has blocked the implementation of this regulation. The reason is not due to reformist leanings within the council but rather concerns over potential domestic unrest if the law were enacted.
In a related move, the prison sentence of Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist leader who had been under house arrest for years, was lifted. Reports also suggest that Mir Hossein Mousavi, former prime minister and a key figure in the reformist movement, may soon have his house arrest revoked. Iranian authorities aim to reinforce internal unity through these measures, countering potential chaos that former U.S. President Trump could exploit. Notably, during his previous term, Trump authorized intelligence operations within Iran and officials from his government maintained close ties with leaders of groups such as the People’s Mojahedin Organization (MEK), which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the Iranian government.
Tensions are expected to escalate in the coming days. Regional stability, which began to ease in late 2024, is deteriorating again, further inflaming Iran-U.S. hostilities. The collapse of the Gaza cease-fire, Lebanon’s fragile truce (hanging by a thread), renewed Houthi attacks and U.S. airstrikes in Yemen all signal the risk of broader regional conflict. Consequently, Iran’s preparations can be interpreted as addressing not only domestic instability but also the looming threat of large-scale regional confrontations.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/iran-us-tensions-rise-what-to-expect
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What's New This Ramadan In Syria?
By Issam Chehadat
Mar 20, 2025
The answer is simple: everything. This year, Ramadan is not just about its religious and social significance — it’s about an entire nation reclaiming itself. It’s about Syria, its people, its land and its future.
For the first time in decades, Syrians are experiencing a Ramadan free from the former regime leader Bashar Assad’s rule. His fall alone is reason enough for celebration. Across the country, people have rejoiced in their liberation from a brutal regime, marking the occasion with ongoing festivities that peak during major religious and national events, such as Ramadan and International Women’s Day.
Even before social media was flooded with messages of gratitude, hearts were already filled with praise to God for granting them a Ramadan without Assad.
Revolution and Ramadan
from March 15 to 18, celebrations erupted across cities, villages and public squares as Syrians marked the 14th anniversary of the revolution—coinciding with mid-Ramadan. A stark contrast to last year, when the revolution’s anniversary was observed with heavy hearts, filled with prayers and hopes for the regime’s downfall. Today, that hope has turned into reality and Syrians finally have the right to celebrate.
This Ramadan, everything has changed. Gone are the arrest warrants, the fear of detainment at the borders and the omnipresent security checkpoints that once choked movement across the country. For the first time in years, families can return home to spend Eid together without fear. More significantly, Syrians are thinking about their country — their "Souryana"—in ways they never could before.
In the past, Syria was not theirs; it belonged to Assad and his inner circle. Any attempt to build, innovate or change was stifled, while corruption and destruction were given free rein. Now, for the first time, the country is back in the hands of its people.
Ramadan under Assad was punctuated by carefully orchestrated displays of power — banquets where the president hosted religious leaders who pledged allegiance to him, Eid prayers where he raised his hands in false piety and public ceremonies where clerics draped him in symbolic robes of honour. To many Syrians, these displays were empty gestures, masking a regime drenched in the blood of innocents. Those scenes are gone. What remains is a nation standing at the threshold of a new era.
People break their fast during an event organized by a charity organization in the Qaboun neighbourhood of Damascus, Damascus, Syria, March 4, 2025. (EPA Photo)
Two Syrias: Before and After Assad
The contrast between past and present is stark. Under Assad, Syria was suffocating — its future preordained, its people silenced. While his regime groomed his son Bashar as a successor, the Arab world continued to host Hafez Assad at summits under the guise of "Arab reconciliation," ignoring the atrocities he committed against his own people.
Syria was not a nation. It was the private estate of the Assad family. True the power lay not in Damascus, but in Tehran.
Today, Syria is free. It belongs to its people, in all their diversity, with all their struggles and aspirations. The country is witnessing a surge of grassroots initiatives, from neighbourhood beautification to reforestation efforts, reflecting a newfound spirit of civic engagement.
Under Assad, every action required security clearance from the dreaded secret police. Now, Syrians are reclaiming their right to shape their own future.
Challenges ahead
Syria’s newfound freedom has resonated across the Muslim world. A Palestinian friend remarked, “Syria is well, and so are we.” An Algerian friend sang revolutionary songs, drawing parallels between Syria’s struggle and Algeria’s fight against colonial rule. The joy has transcended borders. But so has the bitterness among those who propped up Assad’s machinery of oppression. Those who funded and enabled his reign of terror now face the reality of his downfall.
Despite the celebrations, Syria faces formidable challenges. The economy is in ruins, social structures have been shattered, and security remains fragile. The YPG continues to pose a challenge to national unity. Iranian-backed militias still operate against the country. Israel, too, persists in its attacks. But amid these difficulties, one thing is clear: the Syrian people are determined to rebuild, piece by piece, stone by stone.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/whats-new-this-ramadan-in-syria
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/middle-east-press/israelis-gaza-jews-palestinians-and-syria/d/134927
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