Category World News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance with Israel’s troops in illegally occupied territory in southern Syria has angered Damascus, and raised further doubts over whether a security deal between the two countries can be agreed.

Netanyahu’s Wednesday visit – accompanied by several of his senior officials – signals that he is not planning to shift from his hardline position on Syria, despite encouragement from the United States.

Israel seized territory in the Syrian Golan Heights following the 1967 war and has held it ever since. However, following the fall of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel violated a 1974 agreement and again invaded its neighbour’s territory, occupying more land along the border as part of a “buffer zone”, including the strategically vital summit of Mount Hermon.

Israel was already bombing Syria before the fall of al-Assad, an ally of its regional enemy Iran. But instead of seeking to start on a new path with Syria, Israel has doubled down on its bombing campaign and increased the number of strikes this year, including in the capital Damascus, leading to the deaths of several Syrian soldiers and hitting the Ministry of Defence.

After the visit earlier this month of Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Israel’s key ally in the White House, US President Donald Trump, hopes were high that an agreement could be reached. Al-Sharaa has previously confirmed that direct talks with Israel were under way to secure a permanent settlement.

But earlier this week, Israel’s Kan broadcaster quoted an unnamed Israeli government official as saying the talks were at a dead end. So what went wrong and why? And does Netanyahu’s trip to the occupied Syrian territory signal that he has no intention to make a deal?

What is Israel doing in Syria?

When Israel’s tanks first entered Syria in December 2024, it expanded its territorial footprint within Syria by around 400 square kilometres (155 sq miles), including Mount Hermon, which offers a vantage point over southern Syria and northern Israel.

Netanyahu described the incursion as a “temporary defensive position”. However, as time has worn on, both Israel’s position on the Golan Heights and its rhetoric have grown more entrenched, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying in March that Israel would continue its occupation of parts of Syria for an “unlimited amount of time”.

Israel has also chosen to position itself as the defender of the Druze and Kurdish ethnic minorities against a government it has attempted to paint as “extremist”.

Why did talks break down?

Neither government has issued a statement on why the talks have stalled.

However, citing anonymous government sources, Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, has claimed that talks broke down after Israel refused to withdraw its troops from Syrian territory without what it called a “comprehensive peace agreement”.

Details of what Israel might mean by a “comprehensive peace agreement” aren’t clear.

In September, leaked reports suggested that, as part of any peace agreement, Israel was demanding that Syria establish a demilitarised zone southwest of Damascus all the way up to the border with Israel. This would encompass a vast territory, including the governorates of Suwayda, Deraa, and Quneitra.

In return, Israel would gradually withdraw its forces from Syrian territory, apart from those on the summit of Mount Hermon.

But since then, it appears that Israel has hardened its stance, and reports in Israeli media indicate that the government’s position is that it will not withdraw from territory seized since December without a full peace deal with Syria – which is not on the table.

The news agency Reuters also reported that, at the last minute, Israel requested what negotiators termed a “humanitarian corridor”, allowing access between Israel and the heavily Druze populated southern governorate of Syria’s Suwayda.

According to one source, a central principle of the Israeli proposal was maintaining an aerial corridor to Iran via Syria, which would allow for future Israeli strikes on Iran.

So, why did Netanyahu and others visit the buffer zone?

Netanyahu told Israeli troops that their presence within Syrian territory was of “immense importance”, adding that their purpose there was vital in “safeguarding our Druze allies”, he said.

Syria’s Druze minority provided a pretext for Israel’s last deployment to Syria in July, when Israel was accused of using the conflict between the group and local Bedouins to empower minority factions within the country as rival power centres to the recognised government in Damascus.

Expanding buffer zones with neighbouring states ahead of opening diplomatic channels or contributing towards reconstruction following the often devastating attacks by its military forces appears to have become a central tenet of Israel’s regional strategy.

In Gaza, where Israel has killed almost 70,000 Palestinians, Israel is seeking to establish an extensive buffer zone as part of the US-imposed stabilisation deal that would reduce the already drastically limited space available to the enclave’s post-war population even further.

In Lebanon, where it killed more than 4,000 people during its invasion of October 2024, Israel has been accused of laying the groundwork to create a buffer zone within Lebanese territory, similar to that it is trying to establish in Gaza.

What did Syria and others say about the visit?

The Syrian Foreign Ministry branded the visit “illegitimate” and “a grave violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“This visit represents a new attempt to impose a fait accompli that contradicts relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and falls within the occupation’s policies aimed at entrenching its aggression and continuing its violations of Syrian territory,” a ministry statement read.

Other nations, including Jordan, France and Qatar, have also condemned the Israeli prime minister’s visit, branding it a threat to regional stability.

In the UN, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was also critical of what he called Netanyahu’s “very public visit”, adding that it was “concerning, to say the least”.

Dujarric noted that UN Resolution 2799, recently passed by the UN Security Council, “called for the full sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria”.

How might this affect negotiations?

It looks to have set them back and, to a degree, left Israel isolated.

On Wednesday, a senior UN official urged Israel to halt its activity in the occupied Golan Heights, cautioning that its actions were stoking regional tensions.

Najat Rochdi, the UN deputy special envoy for Syria, told the UN Security Council that Israel’s operations were weakening the 1974 agreement establishing the buffer zone.

“I received a strong appeal from [Syria’s] Foreign Minister [Asaad] al-Shaibani for the UN to act to put an end to these violations,” she said, urging the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities under the 1974 agreement.

Israel’s principal ally, the US, along with many of the region’s powers, appears to have rejected Israeli characterisation of Syrian extremism.

Receiving al-Sharaa at the White House earlier this month, US President Trump praised the Syrian leader, saying, “We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East. We have peace now in the Middle East – the first time that anyone can remember that ever happening.”

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries have also been providing economic support to Syria since al-Assad’s ousting, with Saudi Arabia, a key focus of Israel and the US’s normalisation efforts, announcing a reconstruction programme as recently as September.

What might Israel’s ultimate goals in Syria be?

Israel appears to be following its standard playbook when dealing with its neighbours – use force, ask questions later, and refuse to compromise.

It knows it is the strongest military power in the region, but also believes it faces existential threats, and therefore largely does not want to make agreements that it believes will benefit rivals. In essence, Israel prefers to conduct business through force of arms rather than deal-making.

As well as maintaining its illegal occupation of Syrian territory, Israel has continued to occupy Lebanese territory and launch attacks against its neighbour despite entering into a ceasefire in November 2024.

Speaking to Al Jazeera earlier this year, writer, researcher, and founder of The Fire These Times podcast, Elia Ayoub, said that “The Israelis believe that having weaker neighbours, as in states that aren’t really able to function, is beneficial for them because, in that context, they’re the strongest actor.”

Despite a sluggish job market and rising unemployment rate, the United States’ job growth accelerated in September.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report released on Thursday, nonfarm payrolls increased by 119, 000 jobs after a downwardly revised 4, 000 decline in August.

The unemployment rate increased from 4.3 percent in August to 4.4 percent.

43, 000 jobs were created in the healthcare industry in September, which was the highest level. Following, the sectors of food and beverage services saw a rise of 37, 000 jobs, and that of social assistance, which increased by 14, 000.

Other industries, such as business and professional services, saw little change, including those in construction, wholesale trade, retail, and retail.

3, 000 jobs were lost in the federal workforce, which is the largest employer in the country since the beginning of the year. In September, the industries of transportation and warehousing, which are heavily affected by tariffs, experienced declines and the loss of 25, 000 jobs.

Average wages grew by 0.2 percent, or 9 cents, to $36.67.

Hindernis caused by the government shutdown

The US government shutdown caused the release of the September jobs report on October 3. However, that plan was postponed. The first Friday of each month is typically when the jobs report is released. The US Labor Department was unable to gather the data needed to determine the October unemployment rate because of the 43-day shutdown.

The November employment report, which is scheduled to be released on December 16, will include nonfarm payrolls for the month of October.

According to the BLS, about 911, 000 jobs were created in the 12 months through March than previously believed, which is when the economic data blackout begins. The supply of skilled labor has declined due to a decline in the number of migrant workers entering the US on the lookout for work, a trend that began in the final year of former US President Joe Biden’s presidency and grew more quickly under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The underlying labor market is weak, leaving working Americans with shrinking opportunities and growing insecurity, according to today’s delayed report. According to Alex Jacquez, head of policy for the economic think tank the Groundwork Collaborative, the Trump economy is reducing its output month after month, creating fewer jobs, more instability, and fewer opportunities for families to advance.

According to economists, the economy currently only needs to create between 30 and 50 000 jobs per month to maintain a steady decline in the working-age population, down from about 150 000 in 2024.

Behind the growth that is stalling

The rising use of artificial intelligence is also lowering labor demand, with the majority of jobs being held in entry-level positions in white collar positions and excluding recent college graduates from the workforce. According to economists, AI is accelerating economic growth among those without jobs.

Others attributed the Trump administration’s trade policy to stifling small businesses’ ability to hire.

Justices questioned Trump’s legality as a result of earlier hearings before the US Supreme Court regarding the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act’s authority to impose tariffs.

Some industries and sectors are losing jobs despite the economy remaining stable. Some economists believed that the Federal Reserve’s December 9 to 10 policy meeting on interest rate decisions could still be affected by the employment report from September.

Israel’s occupation of southern Syrian territory expanded after last year’s overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

A family flees their home in Colombia after rebels kill a young man who had accompanied them when they were young.

The Israeli military’s forced displacement of Palestinians from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank earlier this year amounts to war crimes and a crime against humanity, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

In a 105-page report released on Thursday, the rights group said the Israeli military forced 32, 000 Palestinians out of their homes in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps, starting in January of this year.

The forced evictions were carried out “without regard to international legal protections”, and Israel has not allowed residents to return, said Nadia Hardman, a senior refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW.

Satellite images also showed that more than 850 homes and other buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged across the three refugee camps that were targeted by the Israeli military, the report said.

“With global attention focused on Gaza, Israeli forces have carried out war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank that should be investigated and prosecuted”, Hardman said.

The report comes as Palestinians across the West Bank have faced a wave of intensified Israeli military and settler violence in the shadow of Israel’s Gaza war, which has killed more than 69, 000 people in the coastal enclave since October 2023.

Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government have also been pushing to formally annex the West Bank, which experts say is already under a system of de facto annexation and apartheid.

Rights groups have been warning for months that Palestinians in the West Bank faced a heightened risk of ethnic cleansing amid the violence.

“Over the past few years, we have seen the impact of the Israeli forces and settlers exerting increased force and control over the Palestinian people”, Simona Onidi, a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) project coordinator in Jenin and Tulkarem, said in September.

“These actions are entrenched in the broader settler-colonial process, where the risk of ethnic cleansing – through the forced removal of Palestinian communities – will cement permanent demographic change”, Onidi said.

‘ They were all crying ‘

The Israeli authorities have said the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams camp raids aimed to root out Palestinian armed groups and to dismantle infrastructure from which attacks on Israeli forces could be carried out.

“The operation was based on the understanding that terrorists exploit the terrain and the densely built environment of the camps, which restricts the]military’s] freedom of action”, the Israeli army said in a statement to HRW.

But the rights group said in Thursday’s report that the military failed to demonstrate “a presence in the three refugee camps of military objectives, namely Palestinian fighters and military arms and supplies, that would justify the forced displacement of the entire population of the camps”.

It also said Israel, as the occupying power in the West Bank, had failed to meet its obligations under international law to evacuate civilians safely and then allow them to return to their homes once hostilities end.

Displaced Palestinians reported that they were given just minutes to leave the camps, often under threats of violence, and that they had witnessed wide-scale destruction.

A Palestinian woman referred to as Nour H in the report said she and her relatives were told they had 10 minutes to leave Nur Shams refugee camp during the Israeli military’s raid in early February.

“I asked the soldiers where we should go, and they said to the east, and they told us if you go to the left or to the right, you will be targeted by snipers who are in high places around the area”, the mother of five recalled.

Another Nur Shams resident, Nadine G, told HRW that she “couldn’t recognise the camp” as she was forced out with her family because so many homes had been destroyed.

“There were more than 40 men, and maybe 45 women with their children walking with us at the same time from my neighbourhood. As we were walking, drones were following us overhead and there were maybe 20 to 25 soldiers, aiming guns at us”, she said.

“We were meeting women along the way who had also been forced to leave, and they were all crying”.

HRW calls for investigation

Meanwhile, HRW has called for senior Israeli military and political officials to be investigated over the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity that took place in the three refugee camps.

That includes Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, Defence Minister Israel Katz, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Major General Avi Bluth, who oversees the Israeli military’s central command.

The rights group also urged third-party countries to impose sanctions against those individuals.

“They should take other actions to press Israeli authorities to end their repressive policies”, HRW said, including imposing an arms embargo against Israel and enforcing International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants.