Can the Abraham Accords Be Expanded?

Welcome to Foreign policy“The situation report, where we ask about the seriousness of US President Donald Trump this week when he discussed the possibility of signing an executive order to officially restore football as” football “in the United States. Meanwhile, there are many urgent geopolitical issues for discussion.

Well, this is what is on the tap for today: IsraelStrokes in Syria Honing the talk about normalizationand Russia He continues to bombs Ukraine Although Trump’s economic threatsAnd Iran Facing “Snapback“Warning.

“Very early” to talk about the normalization of Israel Syria

In recent months, the Trump administration has pushed the new government in Syria to join Ibrahim agreements and normalize relations with Israel. But the Israeli strikes on the Syrian government forces this week indicate many obstacles that have long been standing in the way of opponents, proving official diplomatic relations.

The strikes came at a time when the Trump administration began to establish more friendly relations with the government of the interim Syrian President Ahmed Al -Shara, including Trump, to lift sanctions against Syria in late June. Now, the situation threatens to take out the White House’s goal of seeing Syria stability as it moves from a devastating civil war for 13 years.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States “is very concerned” with Israeli strikes, and has called on the Trump administration to cancel the escalation.

Aaron Zellin, an older colleague at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Strep, given the situation, of certainly thinking about Syria that joins the Ibrahim Agreement at the present time, said Aaron Zelin, an older colleague at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, for Strep.

“Leave the Druze alone.” The Israeli army has been active in Syria since the opposition forces, led by Shara, have long been overthrown in the country, Bashar al -Assad, in late 2024, but this week’s strikes are the most dangerous escalation of Israel against the new Syrian government so far. On Wednesday, Israeli strikes in Damascus were damaged at the Syrian army headquarters and hit near the presidential palace.

The Israeli government said that the strikes during the past few days were aimed at protecting the Druze, which is a religious minority in Syria that also has an influential society in Israel, and to maintain a citizenship area along the borders of Israel. The strikes came after the Syrian government forces moved to interfering in clashes between the Druze and Badwin tribes in the southern Syrian city of Sweden.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Katz called on Damascus to leave the Druze in [Suwayda] Only, he pledged that the attacks on the Syrian forces will continue until they withdraw from that city.

Druze leaders and the Syrian government announced the ceasefire on Wednesday. But the situation is still volatile and stands as another example on how to threaten sectarian violence by undermining the new Syrian government.

Preserving Syria is “broken”. Zelin said that normalization is “more difficult for Syria to accept it now,” adding that many of what Israel has done in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime was “destabilizing” and pushing it post -OCT. 7, 2023, the principle of security designed “to remove all threats everywhere, even if it is at the expense of building quiet limits in a new relationship.”

Although Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon walked in late June, he indicated that Israel was open to the expansion of Ibrahim’s agreements, and specifically mentioned Syria in this regard, the Israeli army operations in Syria – are about to doubt that there are issues such as Israel at any time soon.

Joshua Landes, head of the Middle East Studies Center at Oklahoma University, told Sitrep that Israel’s openness to the warmer relations with Syria has been designed recently “to please America, but I do not think it is interested in serious talks.”

“This is a performance position” and “Kabuki Theater”.

Landes said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prefers to preserve Syria “broken” and in the position “unable to harm Israel.” He added: “Israel’s policy in protecting the Druze and banning the Syrian army from moving south of Damascus is determined to maintain this in this way and establish, in some sense, a buffer zone.”

Conflicting views. “The United States and Israel have opposed Syria’s assessments,” Landes said. “The United States is very anxious, because its pioneering allies in the region, Israel and Turkey, are in the heads of Logpers on this issue.”

Trump does not want to see Israel and Turkey, one of the Essential Harra government allies, at the end of the conflict. But at the end of the day, Landes said that Israel “does not trust” Shara – a former al -Qaeda fighter with a complex past – and is still looking at him as a terrorist.

But this does not mean that Shar is ready to rush to normalization as well. Zelin said he also has many local factors to consider, including the fact that the supporters of Shara include jihadists who suffer from Israel and chant the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Israel may bet that the SR government will not last, which may also be an obstacle to fundamental talks about normalization. “I imagine that there are many people in Israel who believe this government may fail,” Landes said. Thus, why do we conclude a deal? “

Let’s get individuals

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched more than 1350 employees last Friday, including 107 civil employees and 246 external service employees. This is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to align US foreign policy with the “First American” agenda of the White House. Critics say it will deprive a country of vital experience in a group of global crises.

On the button

What should be on your radar, if not really.

Russia maintains calm and continues to bomb. This week, Trump warned Moscow that he would impose a secondary tariff on Russian energy exports if a ceasefire in Ukraine is not reached in the next fifty days. Russia has actually responded by continuing to bomb Ukraine, indicating that the warning of Trump’s warning does not have a major impact on Moscow yet.

Trump has turned in recent weeks to be more critical to the Kremlin and Kiev’s support, including the announcement of a new plan to provide weapons to Ukraine this week. Although Kiev praised Trump on the arms plan, critics are still wondering why Trump gave Russia a 50 -day window to continue an aggressive summer attack in Ukraine rather than moving to impose economic sanctions immediately.

Iran faces the threat of “Snapback” sanctions. The United Kingdom, France and Germany have agreed to restore United Nations sanctions against Iran if there is no significant progress towards a new nuclear agreement by the end of August. Without tangible progress towards an agreement, the three European countries said that they will lead to the “Snapback” mechanism that regains the sanctions that were filed as part of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which the United Kingdom, France and Germany were a party alongside Russia, China, the United States and the European Union.

Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 deal during its first term, although Iran was compatible with it at that time. Iran eventually abandoned the 2015 agreement and began to enrich uranium by up to 60 percent-to levels at the level of 90 percent weapons-which raises interests around the world and feeds regional tensions that eventually turned into a 12-day war between Israel and Iran. The conflict ended after the United States bombed from Iranian nuclear facilities.

Although Trump’s assertion that the Iranian nuclear program has been blocked, questions about the extent of damage to American and Israeli strikes remain – and since then Iran has suspended cooperation with the United Nations Nuclear Control Authority.

A fatal stampede in Gaza. At least 20 people were killed in a stampede at the Gaza aid distribution site managed by a controversial organization, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). There are conflicting accounts about the reason for its stampede, but the deadly ring follows a wider direction of deadly accidents associated with the disagreement distribution system, which was boycotted by the United Nations.

Nearly 700 people have been killed near GHF sites since late May, for all data from the United Nations this week.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to pressure to stop the shooting in Gaza. The White House expressed optimism about a deal in the near future, although negotiations continue to reach a set of road barriers-including a controversial proposal from the Israeli Defense Minister to transfer most of Gaza’s population to a small closed area in southern pocket, which critics say will violate international law.

Shot

Hot microphone

Former US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz appeared in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday for a confirmation session about his candidacy to be the next American ambassador to the United Nations, and he was wrapped by Democratic Senate members because of his involvement in the Signalgate scandal, among other issues. He emphasized that no secret information was shared in the sign chat in the controversial center.

Sitrep signed with Democratic senator Tami Dakrith, who sits in the committee, after the session. Duckworth said she was “disappointed” by Waltz. Dakrth said the Valus “did not bear the responsibility of Signalgate” and “tried to lie about” the scandal instead of saying that he is “messy.”

Sinator Illinois said that there is secret “clearly” secret information discussed in the sign chat, which relates to imminent American strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, despite the demands of Al -Fals on the contrary. “This, in itself, excludes him from any sensitive government job,” said Dakright.

DuckWorth also expressed concern that Rubio, who replaced Waltz as a national security consultant, “is very spread” as he also continues to work as the best diplomat in the country, among other government roles.

“No person, not one person, can do whatever they ask of Rubio to do, including at a time when they cut the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while they are lowering the United States Agency for International Development,” Dakrth said, in reference to the United States Agency for International Development, in reference to Rubio, including at a time when they cut the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while they are lowering the United States Agency for International Development, “referring to the US Agency for International Development.

She pointed to the fact that the administration recently sent a tariff message to the leaders of the Military Council in Myanmar, despite the fact that Washington is not officially recognized as a legitimate government of the country. This “showed a complete lack of coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by their economic team, because the Myanmar Military Council is now seizing this as legitimate communication with the United States,” said Dackeret.

Wear your radar

Thursday, July 24: The European Union summit is scheduled to start in Beijing.

Quote from the week

“It will take a little less than warnings and a little less than fetal sites. It will require the democrats tightening.”

– US President Barack Obama talks about collecting recent donations about what Democrats need to do to challenge Trump. Obama criticized the members of his party, who said they were “afraid and intimidated” away from “confirming what they believe in.”

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