Following the Madrid Conference, talks between Israeli and Syrian delegations began in Washington under the Madrid framework. During 1994, negotiations were held on the ambassadorial level in Washington. These talks led to focused discussions on security arrangements and the convening of two meetings between the Israeli and Syrian chiefs of staff in December 1994 and June 1995.
These negotiations were supported by the involvement of high-ranking U.S. officials, including two meetings between President Clinton and President Hafez Assad and a number of visits by Secretary of State Warren Christopher to the region.
The Israeli negotiators have stated to the Syrians that Israel accepts the principle of withdrawal on the Golan Heights, in the context of a peace settlement which simultaneously addresses four key issues:
the depth of the withdrawal;
the schedule and duration for withdrawal;
the stages of the withdrawal and the linkage between them and normalization;
here, as with Egypt, we insist that there be a protracted phase of normalization -- open borders and embassies -- before we complete our withdrawal to a yet undetermined line, and;
agreement over security arrangement.
Israel feels that direct and public high-level meetings between Israeli and Syrian leaders will promote the negotiations and bolster public confidence in Syria's desire for peace.
The late Prime Minister Rabin stated that should a peace treaty including a significant withdrawal on the Golan Heights be negotiated with Syria, the proposed treaty will be put to a national referendum before it is signed.
In December 1995, Syria agreed to resume negotiations without preconditions and with some flexibility. The Syrians decided not to elevate the negotiators to a political level, but to empower Ambassador Mualem and his colleagues by giving them a broader mandate, both in substance and in tone. The Syrians have now agreed to address the elements that define full peace: the quality of peace, normalization, and water. Two rounds of Syrian-Israeli peace talks were conducted under U.S. auspices at the Aspen Institute's Wye River Conference Center in December 1995 and January 1996, focusing on both security and other issues. The discussions were highly detailed and comprehensive.
The discussion of security arrangements identified important areas of conceptual agreement and convergence. As expected, it also revealed differences in substance or perspective. Ideas for addressing some of the differences were referred to leadership in Israel and Syria for consideration.
All participants in this session agreed that it had significantly advanced the discussion of key issues in a future peace treaty, and clarified each side's views and needs. They agreed that the talks laid a solid basis for further discussions.
Although there have been no direct talks since January 1996, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly called upon Syria to return to the negotiating table, without preconditions. American businessman and Netanyahu confidant Ronald Lauder reportedly negotiated a 1998 deal to exchange the Golan Heights for peace. Netanyahu denied he had agreed to the arrangement.
The guidelines of the government established by Prime Minister Ehud Barak in July 1999 said: "The Government will resume the negotiations with Syria with a view toward concluding a peace treaty therewith -- full peace that bolsters the security of Israel, grounded in UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and on the existence of a normal relationship between two neighboring states, living side by side in peace. The peace treaty with Syria will be submitted for approval in a referendum."
On December 8, 1999, President Clinton announced that Prime Minister Barak and President Assad agreed to resume the Israel-Syrian peace negotiations at the point they were halted in January 1996. The talks were launched at a summit meeting with President Clinton in Washington on December 15, with Prime Minister Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk a-Shara, followed by a round of unsuccessful talks held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, from January 3-11, 2000, during which Clinton presented the parties with a draft peace treaty.
In April 2007, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert emphasized that although Israel is interested in peace with Syria, that country continues to be part of the axis of evil and a force that encourages terror in the entire Middle East.
To conduct serious and genuine peace negotiations, Syria must cease its support of terror, cease its sponsorship of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations, refrain from providing weapons to Hezbollah and bringing about the destabilizing of Lebanon, cease its support of terror in Iraq, and relinquish the strategic ties it is building with the extremist regime in Iran.
On May 21, 2008, an announcement was published simultaneously in Jerusalem, Damascus, and Ankara regarding the initiation of indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, under the sponsorship of Turkey.
In the spring of 2010, Prime Minister Netanyahu began secret negotiations with Bashar Assad through American mediator Frederick Hoff. Israeli negotiator Michael Herzog referred to the talks as “a work in progress.”
“There was a detailed list of Israeli demands meant to serve as a basis for a peace agreement,” according to Herzog, “The idea,” he said, “was to see if we could drive a wedge in the radical axis of Iran-Syria-Hezbollah” by taking Syria out of the equation. Israel hoped to follow up a deal with Syria with a treaty with Lebanon.
Assad, however, would not make any commitments regarding its relationship with Iran. To pacify his right-wing base that opposes withdrawal from the Golan, Netanyahu’s office said, “this initiative was one of many proposed to Israel over the past few years. At no point did Israel accept this American initiative. The initiative is irrelevant, and its publication at this time stems from political considerations.”
Talks were cut short by the Arab Spring uprisings in early 2011, which spread to Syria. Fighting soon escalated to a civil war, which continued into 2022, increasing the threat to Israel and making Israel’s unwillingness to give up the Golan look prescient. Iran, Hezbollah, and ISIS engaged in the fighting, all of which pose a risk to Israel, especially Iran, which seeks to build bases in Syria from which it can launch attacks against Israel. Hezbollah also attempted to establish a beachhead near the Golan to add to the threat they already present from Lebanon.
In 2020, Syria was reportedly interested in resuming negotiations with Israel in the hope that doing so would convince the United States to ease economic sanctions. Assad, however, reiterated his position that Syria would hold peace talks only when Israel agreed “to return the occupied Syrian land.”
Even as Assad appeared to be gaining a grip on the country at the end of 2021, Israel continued to launch air strikes targeting Hezbollah and Iranian bases in Syria. The attacks were meant to prevent them from establishing strongholds near Israel’s border, to interdict weapons smuggling to Lebanon, and to prevent the construction of factories to produce advanced weapons. In December 2021, Israel targeted facilities where it was believed Assad was preparing to resume production of chemical weapons.
Aides to Netanyahu urged Trump to keep some U.S. sanctions on Syria as leverage for future negotiations, but the administration rejected the request. The sanctions, imposed under the 2019 Caesar Act to punish Bashar Assad’s regime, were fully repealed after Congress included their removal in the annual defense spending bill, following Trump’s earlier temporary suspension by executive order. The administration reportedly promised Israel unspecified “compensation” in return.
As unlikely as it seemed a few months earlier, the United States believed it could convince Syria to join the Abraham Accords following the fall of the Assad regime. The impetus for such a potentially game-changing decision was the weakening of Iran by Israel and the United States in operations Rising Lion and Midnight Hammer. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that President Trump discussed the possibility with al-Sharaa. “When the president met with the new president of Syria, that was one of the requests that he made, for Syria to sign on to the Abraham Accords. I don’t have a timeline for you, but this administration wants to see that happen, and our partners in the region should know that.”
At a Knesset conference in July 2025, Syrian businessman and activist Shadi Martini relayed a message of regional reconciliation from Syrian President Al-Sharaa, with whom he had met two weeks prior. Al-Sharaa expressed hope that Middle Eastern nations, including Israel and Syria, seize a rare opportunity to build a future of peace for the next generation. Supporting this message, Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Alkhamis emphasized that Gulf states are weary of war and seek a new era of stability and diplomatic partnership, urging Israel to shift from military force to regional collaboration.
In early July 2025, Syria’s interim government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, deployed troops and tanks to the southern province of Sweida, having mistakenly believed it had received tacit approval from the United States and Israel. This assumption was based on diplomatic exchanges, including statements from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack advocating for centralized Syrian governance and quiet talks with Israel in Baku. Syrian officials interpreted Washington’s silence on deployment plans as consent and believed Israel would not intervene. However, this proved to be a serious miscalculation. Israel, which had warned for months against troop movements into the south, viewed the deployment as a direct threat to the Druze minority and launched airstrikes in Sweida and Damascus.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli both called for the elimination of Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, following the massacre of over 300 Druze civilians in Sweida. Ben Gvir said al-Sharaa must be “eliminated,” calling him a jihadist who cannot be negotiated with. Chikli echoed the call, stating, “If it looks like Hamas, talks like Hamas, and acts like Hamas - it’s Hamas!” and warned against standing idly by in the face of atrocities by “al-Qaeda men in suits.” He denounced al-Sharaa as a barbaric terrorist who should be eliminated without delay, citing both the recent slaughter of Druze and the earlier Alawite massacre that was met with silence in Europe.
In late July 2025, Syria and Israel agreed to continue U.S.-mediated de-escalation talks following a meeting in Paris, marking the first high-level contact between the two countries since 2000. The talks, confirmed by Syrian state media as “honest and responsible,” aim to reduce tensions amid escalating violence in southern Syria. Despite progress, no final agreement was reached, and another round of talks is expected in Baku.
The following month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani reportedly met in Paris with Israeli Minister Ron Dermer and his delegation to discuss stability in southern Syria. According to Syrian state media, the talks focused on reducing escalation, avoiding interference in Syria’s internal affairs, and reaching understandings with U.S. mediation as part of broader diplomatic efforts to strengthen security. This was the second meeting between the two officials, following a July encounter reportedly centered on the possibility of renewing the 1974 disengagement agreement with international guarantees.
In January 2026, officials from Israel, Syria, and the United States met in Paris and agreed to establish a U.S.-supervised “fusion mechanism” to facilitate ongoing intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic coordination, and commercial engagement. The decision followed U.S.-brokered talks in Paris between senior Israeli and Syrian officials and is intended to prevent misunderstandings and manage disputes.
Israel, Syria, and the United States agreed to create a US-supervised “fusion mechanism” to enable ongoing intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic coordination, and commercial engagement. The decision followed US-brokered talks in Paris between senior Israeli and Syrian officials and is intended to prevent misunderstandings and manage disputes.
The sides also agreed to begin discussions on civilian cooperation in areas such as medicine, energy, and agriculture. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the talks, stressing Israel’s security concerns and the protection of Syria’s Druze minority. Washington praised the move and pledged continued support as part of broader US-led regional diplomacy.
The Israeli delegation included Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, the prime minister’s Military Secretary Roman Gofman, and Acting National Security Council head Gil Reich. Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani and Intelligence chief Hussein Salameh represented the Syrian side. The American team comprised envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Tom Barrack.
The sides also agreed to begin discussions on civilian cooperation in areas such as medicine, energy, and agriculture. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the talks, stressing Israel’s security concerns and the protection of Syria’s Druze minority. Washington praised the move and pledged continued support as part of broader US-led regional diplomacy.
Sources: Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Shimon Shiffer, “Report: Netanyahu agreed to full Golan Heights withdrawal,” Ynet, (October 12, 2012).
Isabel Kershner, “Secret Israel-Syria Peace Talks Involved Golan Heights Exit,” New York Times, (October 12, 2012).
“Assad: No talks with Israel without return of Golan Heights to Syria,” Times of Israel, (October 20, 2020).
“Trump rebuffed Israeli request to keep some sanctions on Syria — report,” Times of Israel, (December 20, 2020).
“Syria has had indirect talks with Israel to calm situation, Syrian leader says,” Reuters, (May 7, 2025).
@AmichaiChikli, (July 15, 2025). [Hebrew]
Shahar Kleiman, “Syrian Foreign Minister Meets with Dermer in Paris, Discuss ‘Stability of Southern Syria,’” Israel Hayom, [Hebrew] (August 19, 2025).
Amichai Stein, “Israel and Syria agree to US-supervised communication cell for military de-escalation,” Jerusalem Post, (January 6, 2026).
