Netanyahu pressured POTUS not to lift sanctions on the country which Trump announced on Tuesday he would do anyway.
ed note–for those left scratching their heads over this one (and others) as to exactly WHY POTUS DJT would do something like this if indeed, as we have all been told for the last 8 years by that intolerable horde of (non) experts when it comes to Zionism, Israel, and the Middle East, that DJT is ‘owned’ by the Netanyahu and the Jews, there is a very simple answer–
HE ISN’T, AND JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, NEVER WAS, AND THIS IS PRECISELY THE REASON THAT THE PIRATES OF JUDEA HAVE BEEN OUT TO DESTROY HIM FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.
Times of Israel
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords normalizing relations with Israel, the White House said, as the two leaders met in Riyadh, in what was the first encounter between leaders of the 2 countries in 25 years.
Trump also asked Sharaa to ‘deport Palestinian terrorists’ and tell foreign fighters to leave the country, as well as to take control of camps for captured ISIS fighters, currently run by Kurdish militants opposed by Turkey, the White House said.
The meeting in Saudi Arabia came after Trump’s announcement that he would lift sanctions on Syria and move to restore ties with its new leader — a move that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was reported on Wednesday, had pressured Trump not to make, when the premier was in Washington last month.
Syria’s foreign ministry hailed the longer-than-expected half-hour meeting as ‘historic,’ but did not mention the Abraham Accords. Syrian state media also did not mention normalization.
On his way from Riyadh to Doha, Trump told reporters that Sharaa backs such a move.
‘I told [Sharaa], I hope you’re going to join [the Abraham Accords] once you’re straightened out and he said yes,’ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. ‘But they have a lot of work to do.’
The meeting between the two leaders came amidst Trump’s four-day Mideast trip, which includes stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, but not Israel.
Trump said Tuesday that it was his ‘dream’ for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, but acknowledged that Riyadh would do so in its own time.
A US security source had previously confirmed the possibility of Damascus, too, joining the Abraham Accords, with the UAE as a mediator.
Sharaa confirmed last week that Abu Dhabi is already acting as an intermediary between Israel and Syria, which have no official relations.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and, by video, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Trump’s Wednesday meeting with Sharaa, alongside other officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump said Tuesday that his decision to lift sanctions on Syria came at the Saudi and Turkish leaders’ urging.
Washington and Gulf countries are reportedly seeking to pull Syria away from Iranian influence. Tehran, sworn to Israel’s destruction, propped up the former Assad regime throughout the bloody Syrian civil war.
Turkey, meanwhile, has been growing its footprint in Syria, and backed rebel groups aligned with Sharaa during the civil war.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after the meeting, Trump said the new Syrian leader is a ‘young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. a fighter.’
‘He’s got a real shot at holding it together,’ Trump said, adding: ‘I spoke with President Erdogan, who is very friendly with him. He feels he’s got a shot of doing a good job. It’s a torn-up country.’
Speaking in a Wednesday television address, Sharaa said Trump’s move ‘was a historic and courageous decision, which alleviates the suffering of the people, contributes to their rebirth and lays the foundations for stability in the region.’
‘Syrians, the road before us is still long. Today we begin the real work, with which modern Syria will be reborn,’ Sharaa added.
Netanyahu pressured Trump not to lift Syria sanctions
During Netanyahu’s visit to Washington last month, the premier pressured Trump not to lift US sanctions on Syria, an Israeli official told AP on Wednesday.
The official said the request was made out of concern that a cross-border attack similar to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault, could come from the country.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the request with the media.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Israel has cautioned against swift recognition of the new government in Syria, expressing deep skepticism about Sharaa — who until recently had a $10 million bounty on his head from the US — since his Islamist-led rebel coalition toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.
Reuters reported in February that Israel has lobbied the US to keep Syria decentralized and isolated.
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations in Syria have persisted since Assad’s ouster, with Israel bombing what it says are military targets across the country and ground forces currently stationed in a number of outposts near the border with the Golan Heights.