UN peacekeepers and Israeli soldiers on the Israeli side of the Quneitra crossing in southwest Syria, September 27, 2018 (Basel Awidat/Flash90)
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Israel, the Assad regime, and the UN have agreed to open the crossing in the Golan Heights in southwest Syria, according to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.
Haley said on Friday that the step “will allow UN peacekeepers to step up their efforts to prevent hostilities in the Golan Heights region”.
The UN Disengagement Observer Force has operated in a demilitarized zone, established in 1974, between the Israeli-occupied side of the Golan and Syrian territory, but the monitoring has been disrupted by the Syrian conflict.
In 2015, rebels captured much of southwest Syria, but a pro-Assad offensive, enabled by Russian bombing, broke a de-escalation agreement and reoccupied the territory in July. Russian military police now patrol on the Syrian side of Quneitra.
Negotiations between Israel and the Assad regime were reported in late September, as Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the Israeli side of the crossing:
UNDOF troops have started working and patrolling, with IDF assistance. This shows that we are ready to open the crossing as it was before. The ball is now in Syria’s court.
He noted that traffic through Quneitra is mainly shipments into Syria of apples grown by Druze farmers in the Israeli-controlled Golan, and the entry of brides for partners on both sides of the demilitarized zone.
The Defense Minister said the reopening of the crossing does not change Israel’s relationship with Syria’s “war criminal” leader Bashar al-Assad.
Haley said yesterday:
We look to both Israel and Syria to provide U.N. peacekeepers the access they need as well as assurances of their safety. We also call on Syria to take the necessary steps so UNDOF can safely and effectively deploy and patrol without interference.
The main use of the crossing for now will reportedly be by UNDOF soldiers, passing through for one hour in the morning and one in the evening.
Lavrov: Demilitarized Zone in Northwest Syria is “Temporary”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has taken a verbal step back from the Russian-Turkish demilitarized zone in northwest Syria, saying it is not permanent.
Lavrov gave a bit of rhetorical comfort to Bashar al-Assad, who insisted earlier this week that his regime will regain control of Idlib and northern Hama Provinces, the last major opposition area in Syria. He told Russia’s RT France, Paris Match, and Le Figaro:
it is a temporary agreement. The end of the story will be only the Syrian people regains control of the country and all those who are staying in Syria, especially those who were never invited there, leave that country. It is clear for all.
But Lavrov did not explain the route back to regime control, given that the September 17 agreement suspended a Russian-regime offensive. Nor did he state if Russia would challenge Turkish forces, who have been in the area alongside rebels since August 2016.
Syria Daily, Oct 8: Assad on Idlib Demilitarized Zone — It’s Temporary
Rebels confirmed on Thursday that they have withdrawn their heavy weapons, but not their fighters, from the 15 to 20-km (9 to 12.5-mile) wide and 100-km (62-mile) wide zone. Turkish forces have brought in arms, as the opposition has said it will not accept Russian personnel patrolling the area.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan maintained Ankara’s commitment to the zone in a speech on Friday, “Turkey saved tens of thousands of people from death, millions from misery, through the stability it maintained in Idlib.”