Reuters reports:
Israel and Syria are in direct contact and have in recent weeks held face-to-face meetings aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region between the two longtime foes, five people familiar with the matter said.The contacts mark a significant development in ties between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades, as the U.S. encourages the new Islamist rulers in Damascus to establish relations with Israel and Israel eases its bombardment of Syria.
As far as I can tell, Israel and Syria haven't ever had bilateral talks in the 77 years of Israel's existence. The closest were some US-sponsored talks between them in the 1990s. The occasional crossings of Israeli Druze to Syria before the Syrian civil war were seemingly coordinated with third parties like the UN.
So by any measure, these talks are historic. And it is barely a major story.
It is again astonishing how much things have changed in the region in the past year.
|
"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
 |
Buy