US conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria: Blackmail in favor of the Zionist regime.
According to Al-Akhbar, contrary to what the US administration under President Donald Trump announced about its decision to lift sanctions on Syria during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week, which was advertised as a comprehensive and unconditional decision, new information has emerged about the plan to lift these sanctions in three stages, each subject to specific conditions.
US blackmailed Jolani to lift sanctions
The plan, some details of which were revealed by the Associated Press, revolves primarily around the continued abuse of sanctions as a tool to pressure the new Syrian government. The US administration intends to first lift these sanctions temporarily through short-term exemptions and then link their full lifting to a set of conditions that have been described as very strict, including the expulsion of Palestinian groups from Syria.
According to the Associated Press, the details of the plan, which was drafted by the State Department’s Policy and Planning team, prioritize Israel’s security and ultimately lead to normalization of relations between the new Syrian government and Tel Aviv.
The disclosure of this document comes at a time when the US government has failed to take any clear steps on the mechanism for lifting sanctions on Syria, including those that require congressional approval. The revelations are consistent with Washington’s previously stated approaches on the conditions for opening the door to communication with Damascus.
Abu Muhammad al-Julani had also previously taken steps to implement these US demands, as the activities of the remaining Palestinian groups in Syria have been significantly restricted and many efforts have been made to establish channels of communication between Damascus and Tel Aviv, either directly through a delegation from the Syrian government to Tel Aviv or indirectly through mediation by Turkey and the UAE.
In statements published by American media, Trump emphasized that normalizing relations between Syria and the Zionist regime is related to stabilizing the situation in Syria and organizing the country’s internal affairs. This was an issue that White House press secretary Caroline Levitt also mentioned and addressed this issue in her commentary on Trump’s trip to the region and his meeting with Golani in Saudi Arabia, saying: Trump spoke with Golani about five key issues, including signing a normalization agreement with Israel, and encouraged him to do so.
Palestinian Groups in Syria
In this context, press reports indicate that Khaled Jibril, son of the founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Khaled Abdel Majid, Secretary General of the Popular Struggle Front in Syria, and Ziad Al-Sagheer, Secretary General of the Fatah Intifada, were forced to leave Syrian territory as part of the continuous pressure from the country’s transitional government authorities on Palestinian groups.
The AFP news agency, citing an unnamed Palestinian leader, reported that the leaders of these groups had not received a formal request to leave Syria, but their property had been confiscated and a number of members of these groups had been arrested and harassed, effectively barred from activity.