Al-Sharaa: October 7 cannot dictate Israel's Syria policy, talks reached 90% agreement

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that the October 7 massacre should not dictate Israel's policy toward Syria, emphasizing that "it is not possible that all policies are set based on an incident that happened in history." Speaking at an Atlantic Council panel, he revealed that direct negotiations between Syria and Israel, with US involvement, had reached "almost 90% of agreements" before Israel allegedly pulled back. Al-Sharaa argued that Israel's current security policies are counterproductive, creating more threats, and called for mutual respect and economic relations. He also firmly asserted that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory and not open for negotiation. Regarding his past, al-Sharaa did not directly renounce his allegiance to al-Qaeda but unequivocally denied any involvement in the September 11 attacks, stating, "I had nothing to do with that."