Israel seeks settlement expansion across Syria
Shafaq News – Middle East
Israel will maintain its presence in Syria and plans to establish new settlement units to replace those removed from Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a conference in Beit El on the future of Gaza and Israeli-controlled zones in Syria, Katz underlined Israel’s commitment to practical sovereignty.
“There are opportunities here that have not been available for a long time,” he noted, adding that the government’s settlement agenda extends beyond Gaza. He further indicated that sovereignty over the West Bank could also be pursued.
Katz’s remarks come amid reports that six rounds of US-mediated talks aimed at creating a new security arrangement between Syria and Israel have stalled. Sources attributed the breakdown to Israel’s request to open a “humanitarian corridor” to Syria’s southern Suwayda province.
Syrian transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa rejected Israel’s proposal for a demilitarized zone in southern Syria, describing it as a direct threat to Syrian security. He also accused Israel of exporting its crises beyond its borders following the Gaza war, citing over 1,000 airstrikes and 400 ground incursions since December 8, 2024.
Damascus maintains that the 1974 separation-of-forces agreement should form the foundation for any future discussions and insists that Israeli forces withdraw from the areas it occupied after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.
Read more: Syria's shifting stance: Is normalization with Israel on the horizon?
