Vivian Bercovici: Yet another horror shakes the Mideast

SDEROT, Israel — Each day, it seems, we wake to a fresh horror.

On Wednesday July 16, in response to an ongoing massacre of Syrian Druze, the IDF launched a limited but forceful ground incursion as well as airstrikes into Damascus.

For weeks leading up to this crisis, we had heard that Syria was engaged in talks with Israel to normalize relations with its long-time enemy. This dramatic development was driven by U.S. President Donald Trump, who was charmed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new president, at their recent meeting.

“He’s a young, attractive guy,” Trump enthused. “He’s got a real shot at holding it together.”

Within days of leading his loose coalition of extremist fighters to depose the long-hated regime of Bashar Assad in December 2024, Ahmed al-Sharaa, 42, had dropped his nom de guerre — Abu Mohammad al-Julani. He trimmed his beard and swapped his fundamentalist robes and turban for a stylish suit and tie. The makeover worked. Many western nations were seduced and tripping over themselves to re-establish diplomatic relations with Syria and, of course, line up for lucrative economic opportunities.

Trump is bullish on bringing Syria into the Abraham Accords group of countries which, if it continues, will transform the Middle East economically and in so many other ways.

But as this excitement built, there was significant tension in Syria.

Now and then stories would bubble up about a massacre here or there. Approximately 1,500 Alawites — the minority sect that the Assad family belonged to — were slaughtered in March. And again in April.

Some time later the targets were Christians.

In spite of the periodic murder sprees, al-Julani remained the darling of the West.

On Wednesday and Thursday last week, government troops joined with local Bedouin and entered the Druze town of Sweida, located near the Syrian border with Jordan. There is long-standing enmity between the Druze and Bedouin in the region, and the latter clearly decided it was time to settle scores.

Soldiers and Bedouin fighters entered the Sweida hospital. They were merciless, murdering scores of patients in their beds.

Throughout the city of 75,000, brutality was widespread. Young men, bound, were forced to jump to their deaths at gunpoint. There were many reports of rape. Men were tortured in front of their families. One man was tied to a chair and burned to death while his wife and children were forced to watch. The women and children were then piled into SUVs and taken hostage.

Men were humiliated in the streets, having their moustaches shaved off, leaving them with the Sunni Muslim beard alone. A clear humiliation. In Druze culture the moustache is a sign of manhood and respect. In one clip the Syrian soldiers ripped the moustache off a man’s face, with the skin. They laughed. The sadism is eerily reminiscent of Nazi barbarism in Europe. They delighted in pulling and tearing off the beards of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Horrified, hundreds of Druze from Majdal Shams — a city of 15,000 in the Golan Heights — crossed into Syria, unauthorized, of course. They were intent on defending their brethern under attack. The IDF was caught by surprise and urged these men to return to their homes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to frustration from the White House by explaining that Israel was protecting its Druze citizens. Trump, reportedly, was unconvinced.

The Druze in Majdal have long been less than friendly towards Israel. Unlike the Druze living elsewhere in Israel, most inhabitants of Majdal refused to accept Israeli citizenship and ID cards, fearing that this would be seen as loyalty to the enemy by the Syrian government — and the backlash would be felt by their families there. Majdal Druze do not serve in the IDF, again, unlike most Israeli Druze.

But it has been a rough year for the Druze of Majdal Shams.

One year ago, on Saturday, July 27, 2024, the main soccer pitch in Majdal Shams was packed with families and young soccer players attending regular matches. Hezbollah shot a rocket, which slammed directly into the gathering. Twelve children and youth, aged 10 to 16, were murdered in that unprovoked attack. Forty-two were injured. The carnage devastated the town.

Since the fall of the Assad government, long-standing tensions between the Bedouin and Druze in this part of Syria have erupted into violence periodically. The attack on Sweida, however, was of a different order of magnitude.

Multiple sources report a very sharp reaction from Trump, who was “taken by surprise” when informed about the Israeli strikes in Syria. And, apparently, none too pleased.

Also last week, Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, commented to media: “We told the Israelis to stand down and take a breath.”

Almost immediately after the American anger was expressed, Israeli ground incursions were drawn down and peace talks between Israel and Syria resumed. Or so we were told.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump was “caught off guard” by the Israeli military attacks in Syria and spoke with Netanyahu to “rectify” the situation. Senior Trump administration officials have referred to Netanyahu in very harsh, derogatory terms as a leader who is incorrigible and focused solely on his political survival.

In recent days all has gone quiet. Nothing. No information. No news.

No updates on the condition or whereabouts of the many female hostages taken by the Bedouin attackers.

However, Thursday was a very busy day in the region. U.S. Envoy Barrack met in Paris with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad al-Shaibani. It is the first time in 25 years that senior Syrian and Israeli officials have met face to face. And according to Barrack, significant progress was made with respect to discussing terms of engagement in Syria and protection of the Druze.

Also on Thursday, Netanyahu met with the leading Druze Israeli cleric, Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif. Israel is not budging from its position as prime protector of the Druze in the region. And he is clearly working to address America’s alarm regarding the recent hostilities in Syria.

President Trump likes al-Julani/al-Sharaa. And he is keen to have him be a part of an economic alliance in the Middle East that will transform the region. Trump likes deals.

What he overlooks is al-Julani’s long and deep terrorist past. The man led a loosely aligned group of fundamentalist militias to overthrow Assad. Whether he can coalesce them into a properly functioning government for all Syrians remains to be seen.

Vivian Bercovici is a former Canadian ambassador to Israel and the founder of www.stateoftelaviv.com, an independent media enterprise.