Order Michael Finch’s new book, A Time to Stand: HERE. Prof. Jason Hill calls it “an aesthetic and political tour de force.”
Jihadist forces are building up in Syria under its ruthless former al-Qaeda jihadist president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who changed his image, visited the White House and has managed to find favor with President Trump, or so it appears. Now Trump has warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to “not interfere in Syria.”
“Trump speaks to Netanyahu, invites him to visit, warns Israel not to ‘interfere’ in Syria,” by Lazar Berman and Nava Freiberg, Times of Israel, December 1, 2025:
US President Donald Trump warned Israel via social media on Monday against destabilizing Syria and its new leadership, shortly before holding a phone conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, days after a deadly operation by Israeli forces in the south of the country.
Trump said he was “very satisfied” with Syria’s current performance under former Islamist rebel President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who made a historic visit to the White House in November.
The US president said Sharaa “is working diligently to make sure good things happen, and that both Syria and Israel will have a long and prosperous relationship together.” He added that the United States was “doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended” to rebuild the war-torn country…
I previously outlined the situation in Syria HERE. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hizballah and Hamas are proliferating there. And the latest IDF raid was on Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, which is also present in the country. That raid turned deadly, prompting condemnation from France and Arab countries, and now also a warning from Trump to not “interfere in Syria.”
According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN News, the regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa has “appointed an envoy whose sole task is to facilitate communications between PIJ leadership and the Syrian government.” This news is obviously threatening to Israel and indicative of al-Sharaa’s menacing intentions.
Also, in September, Amnesty International reported
It isn’t Israel that is destabilizing the region or “interfering” in Syria. It is jihadists who are the threat. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is a dangerous, seasoned jihadist who has a brutal history in al-Qaeda; he also allied with ISIS (before betraying its late caliph, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi).
No one really knows what Trump’s intentions are in tying the hands of Israel. A senior US official said that “Bibi is seeing ghosts everywhere,” but that official might see things differently if jihadis had ravaged his own family or was in immediate risk from them.
Netanyahu has since responded to Trump. He stated that “it is possible to reach an agreement” with Syria, but that “we will stand by our principles.”
Israel is trying to survive in a hostile neighborhood while also trying to appease Trump. Trump is most certainly the biggest and most powerful ally to Israel. Nonetheless, he is tying Netanyahu’s hands, since the Israeli prime minister is forced to stay within the boundaries of Trump’s permission.
In the meantime, al-Sharaa is biding his time, as are his fellow jihadists and his strongman supporter, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In essence, it’s a high noon confrontation between al-Sharaa and Netanyahu, while both are apparently being managed by Trump. Should al-Sharaa exercise just enough restraint now to keep Trump on his side, that restraint will only be a temporary. Jihadists are zealous, devious and patient. Should al-Sharaa not use restraint, he knows that he could face the wrath of both Trump and Netanyahu.
The biggest concern is that Israel will face the same enemies after Trump is out of office, and in the meantime, they will regroup and build.
