DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, Syria’s new leadership under Abu Muhammad al-Jolani has chosen diplomatic engagement with Israel over military confrontation, a policy that has stunned regional observers and increasingly angered ordinary Syrians who watch helplessly as Israeli forces expand their occupation of Syrian territory with impunity.
Jolani, a former deputy to both Al-Qaeda and Daesh who now presents himself as a pragmatic statesman, has committed his government to avoiding conflict with the Zionist regime despite Israel’s relentless aggression. 
But critics charge that his appeasement approach has not only failed to deter Tel Aviv but has actively emboldened Israel’s colonial ambitions in Syria. 
Israeli officials have made no secret of their express objective: land seizure in southern Syria, which their extremists increasingly refer to by the biblical name “Bashan.”
Syrian officials, including Jolani, have repeatedly stated they have no intent to attack Israel. Yet Israel continues to bomb Syrian military infrastructure, occupy swathes of territory beyond the Golan Heights, and harass and arrest Syrian citizens in occupied areas. 
In July 2025, Israel even bombed the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus. Despite these provocations, Damascus clings to diplomacy as its only option, filing complaints with the United Nations and seeking U.S.-mediated talks.
Jolani’s government has gained the trust of Washington and maintains close ties with Turkey and Persian Gulf states. But this warming relationship with the West has proven utterly ineffective in constraining Israeli behavior. 
Rather than deterring Tel Aviv, Syrian analysts say, Washington’s embrace of Jolani has given Israel a green light to press its territorial ambitions without fear of repercussions.
“The Syrian government is hoping to leverage its pragmatism to remove Israel as the key spoiler,” said Rob Geist Pinfold, a security studies lecturer at King’s College London. 
“It hasn’t been able to do that simply because under the Netanyahu regime, Israel seems more willing to live by the sword.”
The Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967, remains a central grievance. Israeli troops advanced further into Syrian territory after Assad’s fall and have repeatedly stated they have no intention of withdrawing. 
For Israeli extremists, this is not occupation but restoration of the biblical lands of Bashan, and Jolani’s passive response has only reinforced Tel Aviv’s belief that Syria will not fight back.
With Israeli elections approaching in October, analysts expect Netanyahu to raise tensions further rather than ease them. Turkey has emerged as Israel’s next perceived threat, but Jolani’s Syria remains a convenient target for land grabs and military messaging.