US set to ease humanitarian aid restrictions to Syria without dropping sanctions

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce an easing of restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria, without lifting the existing sanctions. 

The decision was reportedly approved by the administration over the weekend, with an announcement expected late Monday or possibly on Tuesday.

The new measure would authorize the U.S. Treasury Department to issue six-month waivers to aid groups supplying humanitarian aid to Syria – including water, food or electricity – without having to make those requests on a case-by-case basis. 

The waivers will come with conditions meant to prevent the new Syrian government from misusing the aid. 

The U.S. move is seen as a way to encourage the new Syrian government to uphold its promises to protect women’s rights, as well as the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. The Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which currently rules Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime, still carries a terror designation for instances of religious and politically motivated violence towards minority groups. 

Since assuming control over the government, after the escape of now-deposed Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, HTS has pledged to respect minority rights and form an inclusive government for all Syrians. However, it has made no effort to distance itself from its jihadist past, appointing officials with known hardline stances to several key government positions.

While the U.S. did drop the $10 million bounty originally offered for HTS leader Ahmed al-Shara'a (also known under the nommé de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani), the administration has not decided to lift the strict sanctions imposed during the Syrian Civil War. 

Last month, Biden addressed the brutal past of HTS, along with several other Syrian rebel groups, during his comments following the collapse of the Assad regime. 

“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses,” Biden said in December. “They are saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.” 

The new foreign minister of the HTS interim government has called for the U.S. to lift the sanctions to support the country's efforts to rebuild.

European diplomats recently met with officials from HTS. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the emergency funds provided by Europe for reconstruction shouldn’t be used for “new Islamist structures.” 

Baerbock’s visit became controversial in Germany after images of the minister meeting with HTS officials in Syrian media showed Baerbock blurred out. 

The German magazine Bild called the blurring of the photo "discrimination" and “an insult" to the foreign minister. The magazine stated, "Nevertheless, the censored images raise the question of how Islamist the new Syrian rulers really are – despite efforts to present themselves internationally as moderate and tolerant.” 

Images of women without a hijab are considered forbidden in most strict forms of Islam.