Qatar’s PM calls on Israeli forces to withdraw from Syria buffer zone

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has demanded that Israel “immediately withdraw” its forces from the buffer zone established by the United Nations with Syria. This comes after Israeli troops entered the area following the overthrow of long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed Shala’a on Thursday, Sheikh Mohammed criticized Israel’s actions in occupying areas near the Golan Heights in southern Syria. “Israel’s occupation of the buffer zone is a reckless act and must be withdrawn immediately,” Sheikh Mohammed stated.

Last month, after Assad was overthrown by opposition forces from the “Liberation of al-Sham Organization” (HTS) led by Shala’a, Israel deployed military forces to the buffer zone along the Golan Heights, which separates Syria and Israel. The area is officially designated as a demilitarized zone under a 1974 UN-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Concurrent with the incursion of Israeli troops into the area, Israel has also launched hundreds of airstrikes across Syria. Israel claims its airstrikes are part of an operation to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of “extremists,” which it defines to include several Syrian groups, including HTS.

Shala’a stated at the press conference that his country was ready to welcome UN forces into the buffer zone. “Israel’s advance into the area was due to the presence of Iranian militias and Hezbollah. After the liberation of Damascus, I don't think they exist at all. Israel is using these excuses today to advance into Syrian territory, into the buffer zone,” he said.

“There is no doubt that Qatar can play an important role. They will play an active role, along with Western and European countries, as well as the United States of America, in continuing to put pressure on Israel [to withdraw],” he told reporters in Damascus.

Sheikh Mohammed also pledged support for the new government and for the rebuilding of Syria's infrastructure, which has been damaged during nearly 14 years of war. “We will provide the necessary technical support to get the infrastructure working again and to provide support to the electricity sector,” he said, adding that Qatar was “extending its hand to our Syrian brothers in search of a future partnership.”

He also called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria, emphasizing that “sanctions will negatively affect the support provided to Syria and the Syrian people.” The United States and the European Union have both imposed sanctions on Assad and his government for alleged crimes committed during the war that followed the 2011 crackdown by security forces on pro-democracy protestors.

This month, the US Treasury Department issued a six-month general license authorizing certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions. The Treasury said the move did not lift any sanctions but would ensure that those sanctions “do not impede activities that meet basic human needs, including providing public services or humanitarian assistance.” The EU has agreed to hold a meeting at the end of January to discuss lifting sanctions on Syria.