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Syria’s Future Is Shrouded in Uncertainty; Israel Must Act Accordingly
Top rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks to a crowd at Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, Syria, Dec. 8, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano
Horrifying images recur daily on the streets of Damascus: Syrian families knocking on the doors of prisons and government offices, clutching faded photographs of loved ones who have disappeared. The Assad family dictatorship, much like the dark regimes of Pol Pot in Cambodia, Stalin in the Soviet Union, and the Junta in Argentina, has not only made people vanish, but also sought to erase their very existence.
For years, families have received conflicting answers and faced a system that both alienated them and exploited their despair. This is the grim reality of today’s Syria — a country that unraveled under the rule of the Assad regime.
Modern Syria was born from the mandate system established after the First World War. Under French rule, there was an attempt to divide the country into separate ethnic regions: Jabal al-Druze for the Druze, Damascus and Aleppo for Sunni Arabs, Latakia for the Alawite minority, and Alexandretta in the north for the Turkmen minority. However, this attempt failed, and in 1946, Syria emerged as a one unit state.
The profound hostility and instability in Syria stems from the lack of a unifying element among the diverse ethnic groups that make up this fragmented country. This fate is shared by other regional states like Lebanon, Iraq, and Libya. Since gaining independence in the 20th century, Syria has been characterized by political instability, military coups, and three failed wars against Israel. The significant turning point occurred in 1963 when the Ba’ath Party rose to power, paving the way for the Assad family’s ascent.
The Assad regime, both under Hafez and Bashar, relied on a combination of internal suppression and maneuvering between regional and international powers. Bashar al-Assad, initially seen as the West’s hope due to his ophthalmology training in Britain, continued his father’s legacy of repression but failed to maintain effective control over the country’s territories. Under his rule, Syria essentially fragmented into zones controlled by various forces, including ISIS, Turkey, and Russia.
The Syrian civil war exposed the hypocrisy of the international community. While crimes against humanity — including disappearances, mass killings, and chemical weapon use — occurred daily, the global response was minimal at best.
In contrast to the widespread protests seen when Israel is involved in conflicts, Syria’s tragedy received little attention on US campuses and in global media. The West chose not to intervene, even when ISIS took control of nearly half the country, responding only after the public executions of Western civilians began.
The rise of a new regime in Syria, led by figures with clear ties to Al-Qaeda, presents new challenges for Israel. Various declarations of a “new chapter” have garnered support in the West, but is this the reality on the ground? Wasn’t this also the Western perception when Erdogan rose to power in Turkey?
The Israeli capture of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and the destruction of most of Syria’s military power were condemned at the UN, but met with surprising silence from Syria’s new leadership — a phenomenon that perhaps indicates greater antisemitism within the United Nations than in Syria’s new regime.
For Israel, it is imperative to remain vigilant while refraining from supporting any side in Syria’s internal conflicts. We must remember that we are not part of the Sunni-Shiite struggle. We are Jews. If the new administration in Damascus is genuinely seeking peace, let al-Joulani or any other leader commit to the following conditions:
- Public recognition of the State of Israel.
- An unequivocal and public renunciation of Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights.
- The return of Israeli spy Eli Cohen’s remains.
- Information on the fate of all IDF soldiers missing on the Syrian front.
As long as these conditions remain unmet, Israel must continue to live by its sword and maintain its military strength on the northern front. Only this firm stance, coupled with a willingness for dialogue under the right conditions, will secure the state’s security interests against Syria, whose future, as it has been since its inception, remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Itamar Tzur is an academic and writer specializing in Middle Eastern history, politics, and culture, holding honors degrees in Jewish History and Middle Eastern Studies.
The post Syria’s Future Is Shrouded in Uncertainty; Israel Must Act Accordingly first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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North London Synagogue, Nursery Targeted in Eighth Local Antisemitic Incident in Just Over a Week
Demonstrators against antisemitism in London on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism
A synagogue and its nursery school in the Golders Green area of north London were targeted in an antisemitic attack on Thursday morning — the eighth such incident locally in just over a week amid a shocking surge of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the area.
The synagogue and Jewish nursery were smeared with excrement in an antisemitic outrage echoing a series of recent incidents targeting the local Jewish community.
“The desecration of another local synagogue and a children’s nursery with excrement is a vile, deliberate, and premeditated act of antisemitism,” Shomrim North West London, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group, said in a statement.
“This marks the eighth antisemitic incident locally in just over a week, to directly target the local Jewish community,” the statement read. “These repeated attacks have left our community anxious, hurt, and increasingly worried.”
Local law enforcement confirmed they are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.
This latest anti-Jewish hate crime came just days after tens of thousands of people marched through London in a demonstration against antisemitism, amid rising levels of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In just over a week, seven Jewish premises in Barnet, the borough in which Golders Green is located, have been targeted in separate antisemitic incidents.
According to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation has been launched into the targeted attacks, all of which involved the use of bodily fluids.
During the incidents, a substance was smeared on four synagogues and a private residence, while a liquid was thrown at a school and over a car in two other attacks.
As the investigation continues, local police said they believe the same suspect is likely responsible for all seven offenses, which are being treated as religiously motivated criminal damage.
No arrests have been made so far, but law enforcement said it is actively engaging with the local Jewish community to provide reassurance and support.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, condemned the recent wave of attacks and called on authorities to take immediate action.
“The extreme defilement of several Jewish locations in and around Golders Green is utterly abhorrent and deeply distressing,” CST said in a statement.
“CST is working closely with police and communal partners to support victims and help identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” it continued.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also denounced the attacks, calling for urgent measures to protect the Jewish community.
“These repeated incidents are leaving British Jews anxious and vulnerable in their own neighborhoods, not to mention disgusted,” CAA said in a statement.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.
Last month, CST published a report showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.
In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism despite being an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.
In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021.
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Germany to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestinian State but Will Back UN Resolution for Two-State Solution
German national flag flutters on top of the Reichstag building, that seats the Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Germany will support a United Nations resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not believe the time has come to recognize a Palestinian state, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.
“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”
“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.
Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.
The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.
Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia, and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.
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UN Security Council, With US Support, Condemns Strikes on Qatar
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel‘s ally the United States.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance US and Israeli interests.
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.
The Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority,” the Security Council statement read.
The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.