Peloni: The US continues to press forward its support for empowering a Jihadist in Demascus, even as threats and attacks continue against minorities in the wake of the recent slaughters there.
US Congressman Abraham J. Hamadeh travelled to Syria to “discuss the Congressman’s continuing e?orts to bring Americans home” and advance peace
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN |
Abe Hamadeh Speaks at Trump Rally in 2022. Screengrab via Youtube
US Rep. Abraham J. Hamadeh made an important trip to the Middle East this week that included what his office called an “unprecedented trip from Jerusalem to Damascus.”
The Republican from Arizona met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani during the trip to Syria.
This is significant because Syria is currently continuing its transition from the rule of the Assad regime, which fell in December 2024, to a new government that has promised to unify the country. However, tensions between groups have led to infighting among the Druze, Bedouins, and others. Hamadeh’s trip to the region illustrates US engagement with Israel, Syria, and key officials in both countries.
According to a statement from Hamadeh’s office, he travelled to Syria to “discuss the congressman’s continuing e?orts to bring Americans home, advance ‘Peace Through Strength,’ and advocate for a Syria that looks toward the future and not the past.”
However, the larger symbolic importance of this visit is that it was a historic trip by a US official from Jerusalem to Damascus. His office says it is the first time in decades that this has happened. It harkens back to the era of US “shuttle” diplomacy, when American foreign policy heavyweights, such as Henry Kissinger, would travel around the region.
Druze in Israeli and Syrian society
On Thursday, Hamadeh met with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community. They discussed regional security, the Druze role in Israeli society, and recent attacks on Druze in Syria. Last month, Israel bombed Damascus to deter attacks on the Druze in Syria.The US President Donald Trump’s administration has worked to engage with Syria. Trump appointed US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack as US envoy to Syria in May. Barrack has played a key role since then in ensuring that Syria has the best chance possible regarding US ties and what may come next. This includes reducing US sanctions on Syria.
The envoy has also shuttled back and forth to Beirut and around the Middle East, becoming a key figure in Trump’s regional doctrine. Trump leans on figures such as Barrack and Steve Witkoff to see his policies through.
Hamadeh has shown, through this trip to the region, that he is willing to personally go to the places that matter the most in terms of the future of the Middle East.
The Republican congressman brings experience to the table in his meetings. As Jewish Insider noted in March, “Hamadeh is the child of Syrian immigrants with Druze, Kurdish, and Muslim heritage and served in the US military in Saudi Arabia,” giving him a unique perspective on regional affairs.
HIS OFFICE said on Monday that “as an emissary of the Peace Through Strength agenda, Congressman Hamadeh, a former US Army Reserve intelligence o?cer, was in Syria for six hours to meet with President al-Sharaa to discuss the return of Kayla Mueller’s body to her family in Arizona, the need to establish a secure humanitarian corridor for the safe delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to Sweida, and the need for Syria to attain normalization with Israel and join the Abraham Accords.”
It also noted that “in the meeting, Congressman Hamadeh strongly emphasized the need for Syria to course correct in light of recent tragic events.”
Hamadeh spoke to Sharaa about a unified Syria and how Damascus “must provide peace and security for all of its people, including the Christian, Druze, Kurdish, Alawite, and other minority communities. Congressman Hamadeh asserts that this is the only way to build a new Syria that is re?ective of its ethnic and religious mosaic,” his office noted.
The congressman is supportive of Trump’s decision to lift some sanctions on Syria. He also “believes that Congress should play a key role in this process to ensure that the Syrian government is upholding its commitments to the US. As a result, Congressman Hamadeh and his sta? have engaged in interagency e?orts to ascertain what is and is not happening on the ground in Syria amid this current conflict. Congressman Hamadeh is grateful for, and supportive of, Ambassador and Special Envoy Tom Barrack’s strong leadership in the Levant.”
Hamadeh is a member of the important House Armed Services Committee. He is the co-author of the bipartisan Promoting Education on the Abraham Accords for Comprehensive Engagement (PEACE) Act, “which aims to strengthen US diplomatic engagement by institutionalizing training on the Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements at the US State Department.”
His visit to Syria builds on an earlier visit in April by Republican Congressmen Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Cory Mills of Florida. They were the first members of Congress to visit Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
It remains to be seen what comes next. It is important for Damascus to work with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria toward unity. However, Damascus should also respect the SDF, which is a mostly Kurdish force, and also respect requests for a less centralized government.
Minorities in Syria are concerned about elements within the government and their supporters. The government has not been able to rein in extremists who have attacked Alawites and Druze. In many cases, it appears to be complicit in the attacks and then tries to walk back its mistakes when things have gone too far.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.