With new interm President Ahmad al-Sharaa taking over Syria after former President Bashar Assad was overthrown, Syria may have the opportunity to join the Abraham Accords, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Wednesday.
“We don't know how this guy is going to turn out in Syria,” Friedman said in reference to al-Sharaa, adding that he “certainly has a checkered background.”
“But by the same token, Syria has been an absolute disaster for as long as I've been alive. And we have a circumstance where we have a new leader," Friedman told Newsmax.
“It's not Bashar Assad. It's not somebody who's gassed his own people. It's somebody who is looking to lead and find a way to do that. And I think he recognizes the fact that to have the support of the United States is critical. And, you know, the first thing the president said to him is, You should join the Abraham Accords,” Friedman said.
If there is a way to make Syria “less lethal,” President Trump should “go for it,” Friedman continued, as Syria has been in a "state of war with Israel since 1948," Friedman continued.
Before becoming Syria's president, al-Sharaa had been the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the U.S.-designated terrorist group, which overthrew Assad's government in December. The U.S. dropped its $10M bounty on Al-Sharaa shortly after Assad was overthrown.
Trump met with al-Sharaa on Wednesday, marking the first time top leaders from the U.S. and Syria have met in over 20 years. According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump had pressed al-Sharaa to help the U.S. combat ISIS, normalize relations with Israel, and remove all foreign terrorists from Syria.
In addition, Trump announced the day prior that he would be dropping sanctions on Syria “in order to give them a chance at greatness.”
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That’s what we want to see,” Trump said during his speech in Saudi Arabia.