The leader of Tahrir al-Sham said about the relations between Damascus and Tel Aviv: “The era of endless bombings must end. We have common enemies and we can play an important role in the security of the region.”
Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (the branch of the terrorist group al-Qaeda in Syria), who calls himself the interim leader of this country, discussed the internal situation in Syria and the prospects for the country in an interview with the Los Angeles Jewish publication.
In an interview with the Jewish Journal, he claimed: “We have inherited something more than ruins. We have inherited wounds, distrust, and fatigue. But we have also inherited a fragile but real hope. The past is present in the corners and streets of Syria and among all families. Our task is not to repeat it or do something softer, but we must create something completely new.”
Claiming that he has invited all minorities to participate in the process of governing Syria, al-Julani said: “If I am the only one speaking, Syria will not have learned anything. We invite all voices—secular, religious, tribal, academic, urban, and rural. The government must now listen, not dictate.”
In response to a question about the Syrian people’s lack of trust in this process, he said: “I am not asking for trust. I am asking for patience. Hold me and this process responsible. Trust is gained through this path.”
The Syrian rebel leader also claimed, in response to the question of what Syrian citizens now have—without referring to the worsening economic conditions of the country or the occupation of part of Syria by the Zionist regime—: “‘Dignity through work. Peace through purpose.’”
He, who has had no other activity in his life besides terrorist activity, said: “A stable Syria is not built through speeches or slogans, but through action. Syria will be built in the market, in the classroom, in the fields, and in the workshops. We will rebuild the supply chains. Syria will once again become a center of trade and commerce.”
Al-Julani added: “Every employed young man is one less exposed to extremism. Every child in school is a vote for the future.”
The leader of Tahrir al-Sham, who is seeking to normalize relations with the Zionist regime, said in response to a question about relations between Damascus and Tel Aviv: “The era of endless bombings must end. No nation flourishes with a sky full of fear. We have common enemies and can play an important role in the security of the region.”
According to the Jewish Journal, in an interview with the publication, Al-Julani expressed his desire to return to the spirit of the 1974 agreement with the Zionist regime “not only as a ceasefire line, but also as a basis for mutual restraint and the protection of civilians, especially the Druze community in southern Syria and the Golan Heights.”
In this regard, he said: “The Druze of Syria are not pawns. They are Syrian citizens.”
Al-Julani added: “Peace must be achieved through mutual respect, not fear. We will participate where there is honesty and a clear path to coexistence, and we will avoid anything less.”
Al-Julani’s View on Trump
The Tahrir al-Sham leader also claimed, referring to his meeting with US President Donald Trump: “Regardless of how the media portrays him, I see him as a man of peace. We are both targeted by the same enemy. Trump understands power, leverage, and results. Syria needs an honest broker who can restart the dialogue. If there is a possibility of an alignment that will help the stability of the region and the security of the United States and its allies, I am ready for this dialogue. He is the only one who can rebuild this region.”
According to the Jewish Journal, al-Julani went on to say that foreign powers such as “China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, and the United States will continue to influence the course of Syria.”
Lamented by experts as a pawn of foreign countries, he claimed: “We will not be a pawn. We will be a government that governs with legitimacy. We want America to be our partner in governance, fighting corruption, and building institutions based on honesty and integrity.”
“I did not ask for this position to govern. I accepted it because Syria turned the page,” al-Julani claimed in Paban. “I would rather share in writing this history with others than watch it fall apart again. We have no choice but to succeed. We must make Syria great again.”