Independent: It was England that put a suit on Jolani.
In recent days, the Arab Independent newspaper published new details about the identity of the British organization that was responsible for the political training of Ahmed al-Sharaa, alias Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the self-proclaimed leader of Syria.
This organization is the same institution that Robert Stephen Ford, the former US ambassador to Syria, indirectly mentioned, but did not name, in a video published on YouTube by the Baltimore Council on Foreign Relations. The video, which contained details of a covert operation to transfer Golani from the battlefields of war and terrorism to the world of politics, provoked widespread reactions in political and media circles around the world. The collection of information provides a complete picture of the complex and planned efforts of Western powers to reconstruct Golani’s image under the name Ahmed al-Sharaa and his role in the political future of Syria; A project that is being implemented with the support of a network of security, diplomatic and media institutions and could have important legal and political repercussions.
Ford explained in that video that a British non-governmental organization that works in the field of conflict resolution had invited him in 2023 – that is, approximately a year and eight months before the fall of Damascus – to participate in the process of “rehabilitating” Golani. The purpose of this program was to prepare him for entering the political arena after years of activity in terrorist groups and organizations. The name of the organization has now been revealed: “Intermediate”, a civil society organization based in the UK and run by Jonathan Powell, the British National Security Advisor and a close associate of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. When Powell was the CEO of the organization, Robert Ford had asked to participate in the Golani rehabilitation project. He was one of the first Western officials to meet with Golani in the early days of his presidency and was able to obtain important commitments from the leader of Tahrir al-Sham, especially in the area of not threatening the security of the Zionist regime.
Analysts and experts on West Asian affairs believe that Powell is probably the key person who has been guiding the efforts of the West and the Arab world to normalize relations with Golani, especially after US foreign policy has become more isolationist during the Trump presidency. Although the new Syrian authorities have denied the allegations made by Ford, the Hebrew-language news website “i24” has stated in a report that British and American intelligence agencies have long been in contact with Golani and had selected him as a key player for the future of Syria. According to this report, there has even been extensive financial support for Golani, with a US military report mentioning the allocation of $100 million in Idlib to economically stabilize the areas under his control before the fall of Damascus.
Regarding Jonathan Powell, we should mention his book, “Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflict,” which was written after the peace talks between Britain and Northern Ireland and which well reflects the British government’s view of the situation in Syria and other similar crises. In this book, Powell defines terrorist groups as “non-state armed groups with significant political support” and considers terrorism a “tactic” that both states, groups, and even individuals may use. This definition provides a basis for London to enter into negotiations with figures like Golani, especially through organizations like “Intermediate,” which, while claiming to be civil society activists, in practice act as a tool of covert diplomacy and intelligence.