Syria is interested to join Abraham Accords with Israel ‘under the right conditions,’ US Congressman says after visit

Syria is interested in joining the Abraham Accords and making peace with Israel under certain conditions, Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) told the news outlet Bloomberg after returning from an unofficial trip to Syria.

According to Mills, Syria’s President and former arch-terrorist, Ahmad al-Shara’a, showed himself open to addressing U.S. concerns and fulfilling certain conditions in exchange for the removal of economic sanctions and diplomatic normalization.

After Shara'a's HTS took over the reins in Syria, Israel quickly destroyed most heavy military equipment in the country, seized a buffer zone in Syrian territory, and embarked on a diplomatic offensive against the new Islamist rulers.

Mills told Bloomberg that he plans to update U.S. President Donald Trump and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz about the unofficial fact-finding mission and deliver a letter from Shara’a to Trump.

In a recent interview with the New York Times (NYT), Shara’a reiterated that he seeks sanctions relief from the U.S., arguing they were “implemented as a response to crimes committed by the previous regime against the people.”

Two informed officials told the NYT that the U.S. presented eight demands to lift the sanctions, including the final destruction of remaining chemical weapons and an active effort to combat terrorism.

Mills said he and Shara’a spoke for some 90 minutes, with the congressman mentioning the lingering issue of foreign Jihadist fighters left in the country. Mills summarized the meeting as “positive,” adding he was “cautiously optimistic and [looks] to maintain open dialog.”

Speaking with the NYT, Shara’a said some of the demands would “need to be discussed or modified.”

Nevertheless, Palestinian reports said Syria’s government had arrested two senior leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organization in Syria. Pro-Palestinian and Iranian media outlets claimed that this was done in response to U.S. pressure.

According to the reports, the arrested leaders are Khaled Khaled, in charge of the Syrian arena for PIJ, and Yasser al-Zafari, responsible for PIJ’s Syrian executive committee.

In an official statement, PIJ confirmed the arrests, which it said were conducted in a manner “it wouldn’t expect” from Syria, while calling for their release. The two have been detained for five days “without explanation,” PIJ said.

The group added it was surprised by the arrest, which they said they “did not hope to see from brothers whose land has always been a haven for loyalists and free people.”

The group’s senior leadership, including its overall leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, was based in Damascus for years during the rule of Bashar al-Assad. Nakhalah fled the country upon the Assad regime’s sudden collapse.

Like its ally Hamas, PIJ enjoys broad Iranian support in funds, weapons and training.

According to Sky News Arabia, this was the first arrest of senior Palestinian leaders under the new government. In previous years, 13 armed Palestinian factions were based in Syria, the report added.

According to the news outlet The Cradle, part of the motivation for these moves by the new government could be a pivot away from the Iran-backed Palestinian factions supported by Assad, toward the Palestinian Authority (PA), which enjoys greater recognition in the West.

The Cradle reported that the government has so far rebuffed requests by senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to visit Damascus, while Shara’a has already received PA President Mahmoud Abbas and PA premier Mohammad Mustafa, and recognized the PA as the Palestinians’ representative in Syria.