Oh Law... With the Syrian-Israeli peace, you are the winner
Following the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference, a saying emerged in the world of international politics: "The Middle East is a land of missed opportunities." This phrase was indicative of the conference's failure.
At that time, Syria was in a position to compel Israel to withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights. Unfortunately, however, it entered a labyrinth of slogans. Former President Hafez al-Assad was quoted as saying, "I was swimming in the Sea of Galilee, and I will return to swim in it." This statement came despite Tel Aviv having annexed the Golan in 1981, a decade before the conference. Meanwhile, Damascus continued its slogan-driven political line, as those trading on the Palestinian cause were more powerful than Arab realists.
Since 1974, much political water has flowed in the Syrian Barada River, yet Damascus failed to benefit from it because it relied on a policy of rejection. Years earlier, when Egypt signed the "Camp David Accords" and made peace with Israel, Damascus formed the "Front of Confrontation and Resistance," which was content with slogans and offered Syria nothing.
In contrast, the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was more astute. He recognized that the existence of Israel had become a fait accompli, that peace was its weakness, and that its withdrawal from occupied Arab territories through peace treaties was the foundation for confining it within natural borders, given that its borders had not been defined since 1948.
The path Sadat followed brought peace and stability to Egypt. While it did not abandon the Palestinian cause, it stopped the Egyptian trading of the cause by factions. Syria, however, continued on its course, incurring significant losses and living under a comprehensive economic blockade from 1979 until the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
This historical glimpse of the Syrian reality must be in the mind of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, so that he does not fall into the trap of factions trading on the Palestinian cause. Today, his country needs every bit of Arab and international support. Therefore, continuing negotiations with Israel to reclaim occupied territories is the optimal solution. Anyone following events since 1948, 1956, and 1967, up to 1973, fully understands that the international community will not allow the fall of Israel.
Thus, the "Camp David Accords" between Cairo and Tel Aviv, as well as the Jordanian-Israeli "Wadi Araba Agreement," were cornerstones in imposing peace on Israel, particularly regarding its recognition of the natural borders of both states.
On this basis, Syria today has the opportunity to reclaim its land and stability, and to prevent interference in its affairs from any quarter, if it works to curb the hands of those trading on the Palestinian cause and seeks to recover its occupied land through negotiations. It must also realize that political and military equations are constantly changing, especially when the balance of power is skewed.
Developments in recent years have forced everyone to change the rules of the game. The new Syria, fortified by strong popular support, Arab friends, and international circles backing its stability, must seize this opportunity to resume its regional role, moving beyond slogans, reforming its devastated economy, and preventing any party from playing with its territorial integrity, particularly those sectarian and sectarianist voices clamoring to impose a new geographical fait accompli.
This obliges President Ahmed al-Sharaa to go to the furthest extent for the sake of his war-weary country, exhausted by corruption that persisted for decades under the guise of "strategic balance in preparation for the great battle," which led to further suffering for its people. There is currently a different political reality compared to the situation in 1991, and the Middle East is no longer a land of missed opportunities.
