Syrian dissident leaders call for ‘Abrahamic peace’ with Israel

By World Israel News Staff

A group of Syrian dissidents called for “Abrahamic peace” between Syria and Israel following the ousting of President Bashar Assad and Israel.

In a virtual forum held by the Middle East Center, the dissidents, calling themselves the “Syrian Government in Exile,” met with Religious Zionist Party MK Ohad Tal during a panel discussion hosted by Israeli political strategist and marijuana legalization advocate Tom Wegner, who founded the Center.

One of the participants, Jamal Sabbagh, head of the so-called Syrian Government in Exile (SGE), lauded Israeli policy and efforts to expand “Abrahamic peace” in the Middle East in an apparent reference to the Abraham Accords.

Dr. Ziad Karim, communications director of the SGE, endorsed the Abraham Accords and called for the deepening of ties among Middle Eastern nations, including Israel.

“We are not living on an isolated island but in a shared fate,” Karim said, according to The Jerusalem Post. He warned against allowing the Middle East to become mired in the “swamp of extremism.”

“The Abrahamic peace is a roadmap to mutual understanding and a future where wisdom embraces humanity above all else,” he said.

SGE foreign affairs chief Amal Sharkasi claimed that prior to the takeover of Syria by Bashar Assad’s father, Hafez, in 1971, Syria had promoted interfaith coexistence, citing the term of a Christian prime minister, Fares al-Khouri, and Jewish doctors in Aleppo.

During the virtual meeting, the SGE members claimed the group is “more Hebrew than the Children of Israel” and called for tolerance and mutual respect.

Tal, a member of the Knesset’s powerful Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, emphasized opportunities for collaboration between Israel and Arab states against both Iran and radical Sunni Islamist elements.

Several Iraqi delegates participated in the meeting, including peace activist Abou Musa al-Iraqi, who operates social media accounts under the handle “Virtual Embassy of Iraq to Israel.”