Two of the leading pro-Israel groups in the United States — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) — have adopted a cautiously hopeful approach toward the new Syrian government, even as Israel is growing increasingly alarmed by new Syrian leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former Al-Qaida official, and his effort to unify the country.

Jason Isaacson, chief policy and political affairs officer at the American Jewish Committee, told Jewish Insider that the organization “hopes for a peaceful, stable and independent Syria, one in which its diverse population, oppressed for half a century by a corrupt and brutal dictatorship, is protected and represented — and one that does not threaten, or allow other states to use its territory to threaten, neighboring states. We look forward to our government’s careful review of the continued applications of sanctions.”

AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann, asked by JI about the potential relief of sanctions against Syria, said that “any change in policy must be based on a sustained demonstration of positive behavior from the new Syrian government.”  

And a Jewish delegation, organized by the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based advocate for democracy in the country, recently traveled to Damascus to visit Jewish sites in the country on a trip designed to promote improved U.S.-Syria relations.

The Trump administration has said little on the matter — though they appear to be moving towards pulling U.S. troops out of Syria — but a bipartisan coalition is forming in Congress to support sanctions relief for the new Syrian government. The lifting of sanctions would be paired with benchmarks indicating a move towards responsible and stable governance. 

Jerusalem is far more skeptical of Jolani and his government, with Israeli officials repeatedly highlighting his ties to Al-Qaida. In a press conference on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar referred to the Israel-Syria border as a potential “terror border.” 

The most unambiguous indication of Jerusalem’s distrust of the new regime in Damascus is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand last week for “the full demilitarization of southern Syria from troops of the new Syrian regime.”

Netanyahu also said that Israel will “not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria,” and the IDF prepared to act on those words.

One senior American Jewish leader, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Israel’s government is focused on maintaining a good relationship with Trump and, given that the president looks disfavorably on new conflicts around the world, the Syrian issue is “at the bottom of [Israel’s] list” when it comes to U.S. policy.

Israel’s messaging on extending its defensive umbrella to cover the Jabal Druze has focused largely on protecting minorities — especially one whose coreligionists are loyal citizens who serve in the IDF — but Israeli leaders have also made clear that they seek a buffer zone between the Jewish state and the new Syrian regime.

Israel plans to stay in the buffer zone for an “unlimited period of time,” Netanyahu said last week. One indication of its long term plans in Syria is that Israel launched a pilot program offering Druze residents of southern Syria work permits. 

One senior American Jewish leader, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Israel’s government is focused on maintaining a good relationship with Trump and, given that the president looks disfavorably on new conflicts around the world, the Syrian issue is “at the bottom of [Israel’s] list” when it comes to U.S. policy.

The Jewish leader added that there has been no “official attempt to sway American Jewry,” noting no Israeli official has called them to raise the issue of getting Americans Jews “on board” with a more hawkish Syria policy. 

“We say what we see. We try to be very honest,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said. “We care for the minorities. We care for our security. We hope to see positive developments, but we try to stay realistic as much as we can.”

Sources in Jerusalem mostly shrugged off differences between their messages and that of pro-Israel organizations on this front, pointing out that the Israeli government does not control them. One noted that AIPAC’s website still advocates for a two-state solution, which runs counter to the current government’s stance.

Asked by Jewish Insider about the different approaches Washington and Jerusalem are taking to Syria, Sa’ar said in Tuesday’s press conference that Israel has been having ongoing discussions with the Trump administration about Syria, including with Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he visited Israel.

“We say what we see. We try to be very honest,” Sa’ar said. “We care for the minorities. We care for our security. We hope to see positive developments, but we try to stay realistic as much as we can.”

Sa’ar, who has said that it would be “ridiculous” to trust the new Syrian regime, noted that until former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, a demilitarized zone was maintained between Israel and Syria, but that the “coup d’état in Damascus” breached it.

David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that there’s “a lot more hope in Washington that Ahmad al-Sharaa could potentially steer Syria in a good direction” as well as “more fear that if a tough line is taken, it could antagonize him and send him in a bad direction.”

“Our interest in our border is to have a quiet border, not to have another border of terrorism. To have Islamist groups on our border will be dramatically dangerous for Israel. We had that experience with Lebanon. We had that experience with the Gaza strip,” he added. “We will not allow another Oct. 7 from any front.”

Two U.S.-based analysts who spoke to JI on Tuesday emphasized that it’s likely too early to declare a breach between Israel and the U.S. on the policy, given that — although U.S. lawmakers have coalesced around a plan of phased sanctions relief — the Trump administration has not yet announced any major policy moves on Syria.

The U.S. has, however, carried out drone strikes on Al-Qaida affiliates within Syria in the past month, without provoking much of a reaction from the new Syrian government.

David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that there’s “a lot more hope in Washington that Ahmad al-Sharaa could potentially steer Syria in a good direction” as well as “more fear that if a tough line is taken, it could antagonize him and send him in a bad direction.”

Israel, Adesnik continued, is “not inclined to see much change in someone” who is a recent former Al-Qaida commander, particularly in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre. “I think their view is there is not a lot of risk to demonstrating upfront that they are not to be trifled with,” Adesnik said, and that Israel likely assumes al-Sharaa is already inclined toward antagonism.

Adesnik argued that Israel’s moves are largely not having a major impact on al-Sharaa and the new Syrian government’s ability to consolidate power or rebuild the economy. He said there is a question of whether Israel’s actions will prompt popular discontent, but that al-Sharaa may have the credibility to respond in a limited manner.

Dana Stroul, the research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, warned that the current Israeli approach risks fanning the flames of violent extremist jihadism inside Syria, and that “by placing itself between certain Syrian minority communities and this new government in Damascus, it actually opens up space for other spoilers like Iran.”

Another analyst at a pro-Israel organization, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said that the lack of Israeli urgency on this issue in the U.S. — the absence of phone calls to lawmakers or pressure on pro-Israel organizations to oppose the new Syrian regime — is itself a sign that Israel is less focused on isolating fledgling government internationally, and mainly interested in mitigating threats to its own territory.

“Israel is extremely concerned about what a Turkish-influenced, Turkish-backed government in Damascus means for its security, and therefore, it is reported that Israel prefers a weaker, divided Syria that can’t be this partner for Turkey,” said Dana Stroul, the research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the Biden administration. 

Turkey is one possible source of tension between Israel and the Trump administration over the new regime in Damascus. The U.S. and Turkey are NATO allies, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has threatened to cut off his country’s ties with Israel and, as an Israeli source speaking on condition of anonymity pointed out, repeatedly compared Netanyahu to Hitler.

Sa’ar said on Tuesday that “Turkey invaded the north of Syria and is still present there … We express once again our expectation, which I believe is that of the international community, that the rights of the many minorities in Syria, including the Kurds, Druze, Christians and Alawites and others will be fully respected.” 

Stroul noted that Trump was close to Erdoğan in his first term. At the same time, Israel has been concerned over the influence of Turkey on the Syrian leadership, given its concerns about Turkish alignment with the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist ideologies.

“Israel is extremely concerned about what a Turkish-influenced, Turkish-backed government in Damascus means for its security, and therefore, it is reported that Israel prefers a weaker, divided Syria that can’t be this partner for Turkey,” Stroul, who served as a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the Biden administration said, said. 

She said that Israel may be looking toward Russia as a potential mitigator or agent against Syrian influence in Turkey, given recent talks between Israel and Moscow on the future of Syria, a prospect Stroul called “exceptionally optimistic.”

Jewish Insider U.S. editor Danielle Cohen contributed reporting.