Does Syria's Al-Sharaa Want Normalization with Israel?

Friday, 25 April 2025 | Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told US Rep. Cory Mills that he is “interested” in joining the Abraham Accords, the normalization framework under which Israel established ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Mills, a 44-year-old Republican from Florida and close ally of former President Donald Trump, relayed the comments to Bloomberg News on Thursday.

Mills said he traveled to Syria last week on a privately organized visit—not an official congressional delegation—and spent roughly 90 minutes meeting with al-Sharaa. Their discussions centered on the terms under which Damascus would normalize relations with Israel and the conditions for Washington to lift economic sanctions imposed during the Bashar al-Assad era.

He plans to brief Trump and White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on the talks and to deliver a personal letter from al-Sharaa to Trump, though Mills declined to describe its contents and the White House offered no immediate comment.

According to Mills, he presented the full roster of Trump administration demands for sanction relief. Al-Sharaa’s government faces a deep humanitarian and economic crisis after more than a decade of civil war and an estimated US $400 billion in reconstruction needs. Several Gulf monarchies have signaled willingness to fund Syria’s rebuilding but remain constrained by US restrictions.

One key US stipulation, Mills said, is the complete destruction of all chemical weapons stockpiles from the Assad era and the coordination of counterterrorism initiatives with the United States and Iraq. Al-Sharaa must also address the presence of foreign fighters in Syria and provide security guarantees to Israel—particularly given his background as a former al-Qaida operative who fought US forces in Iraq. Syria has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979. 

Mills quoted al-Sharaa as saying he “is ready to address US concerns and—under the right conditions—is interested in joining the Abraham Accords,” originally brokered during Trump’s first term. A presidential adviser to al-Sharaa declined to comment on the account.

Overall, Mills described the exchanges as “positive.” He also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shibani and expressed “cautious optimism” about sustaining an open dialogue. “At one time, Germany and Japan were our enemies, but we overcame that when we decided stability was more important,” Mills said.