Israel said it is "interested" in striking peace agreements with neighbouring Lebanon and Syria while vowing to keep its hold on the occupied Golan Heights in any future Syria agreement.
“Israeli government wants more normalisation agreements with Arab countries,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday at a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, in occupied West Jerusalem.
"Israel is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords circle of peace and normalisation," Saar said of the US-brokered deals that Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020, during US President Donald Trump's first term.
"We have an interest in adding countries such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbours -- to the circle of peace and normalisation while safeguarding Israel's essential and security interests,"
Under occupation for over 40 years
Saar vowed to maintain Israel’s grip on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights under any future peace agreement with Syria.
“Israel ruled over the Golan Heights more than 40 years ago, and it will remain as part of Israel under any peace agreement,” Saar added.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that some countries expressed interest in joining the normalisation agreements between Arab countries and Israel.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied the majority of Syria’s Golan Heights.
After the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime last year, Tel Aviv expanded its control into the Syrian buffer zone and declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria defunct.
Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963.
A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al Sharaa was formed in Syria in January.
