Syrian state news channel Al-Ikhbariya reported on Sunday that President Ahmad Al-Shar’ met with Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, to discuss Syrian-Israeli negotiations during Al-Shar’s visit to New York.
اضافة اعلان
The channel stated on its official X (formerly Twitter) account that “President Ahmad Al-Shar’ received Ronald Lauder at the Syrian mission in New York,” noting that the meeting focused on Syrian-Israeli negotiations. This took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, without specifying an exact date.
On Sunday, Al-Shar’ arrived in New York with several government ministers, marking the first time a Syrian president attended the UN General Assembly since 1967, and he delivered a speech on Wednesday.
Al-Ikhbariya highlighted that Lauder, of Syrian descent, participated in Syrian-Israeli negotiations during the 1990s and is known for opposing Israeli expansion into Syrian territories.
On Monday, during a dialogue with former CIA Director David Petraeus at the Concordia Summit held alongside the UN General Assembly, President Al-Shar’ stated: “If calm is maintained and Israel abides by the agreements, the negotiations may develop further.”
Meanwhile, Israeli newspaper Haaretz cited U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack on Wednesday saying that Syria and Israel are “close to reaching a de-escalation agreement.”
Since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, after 24 years in power (2000–2024), the new Syrian administration has worked intensively to ensure the country’s security, unity, stability, and sovereignty.
Israel has repeatedly violated Syrian sovereignty since the fall of Assad, conducting airstrikes and expanding its occupation of Syrian territories, despite the new administration showing no aggressive intent.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights and, following Assad’s removal, took control of the Syrian buffer zone, declaring the 1974 disengagement agreement collapsed.
