Religious Freedom Watchdog Welcomes New Trump Policy Toward Syria
Cautions that Christian, other religious minorities must have safety guarantees
Christian Solidarity International, a leading religious freedom watchdog, welcomed a new foreign policy initiative by President Donald Trump to lift broad U.S. sanctions on Syria as “long-overdue decision.” The organization called the Obama embargo “weapons of mass destruction” that have devastated civilians across all faiths.
But as CSI cheered a step toward alleviating “hunger, illness and destitution,” the organization warned that Syria’s new government has already allowed atrocities against religious minorities. CSI urged the U.S. not to lift targeted sanctions on those implicated in violence.
President Trump met with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, unveiling a new Syria plan that marks a dramatic turn in U.S. policy. In a meeting attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump pressed Sharaa to consider joining the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic framework that has normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. Sharaa, who swept to power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, signaled willingness to pursue normalization with Israel “under the right circumstances.” Trump recounted, “He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do.”
If Syria were to join the Abraham Accords, it would mark a stunning reversal after years of hostility between Damascus and Jerusalem. Israeli officials have so far taken a skeptical view, pointing to Sharaa’s past ties to al-Qaeda and describing his government as unreliable. Still, the possibility of a thaw has sparked debate among diplomats and analysts across the region. Israeli officials, who remain wary, still see a glimmer of hope.
CSI President Dr. John Eibner, while applauding the end of the economic blockade, stressed that “six months into its rule, Syria’s new, jihadist-led government has already been implicated in mass atrocities against religious minorities.” Citing the massacre of thousands of Alawites and attacks on the Druze, Eibner said Christians are also “increasingly threatened and discriminated against in the ‘new Syria.’” He insisted, “individual sanctions against” those tied to terrorist activity remain in place until justice is served and guarantees of religious freedom are secured.
Trump’s trip also produced trade deals in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, without commitments of nearly $1 trillion in Saudi and other Gulf state investments in the United States. In fact, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase a record $144 billion in Boeing planes. It’s the largest single purchase in world history.
As the White House seeks to reshape alliances in the Middle East, the possibility of normalization between Syria and Israel remains uncertain, with both hope and skepticism rising in the region. For now, groups like CSI are urging the U.S. to match diplomatic breakthroughs with concrete protections for Syria’s most vulnerable.
–Dwight Widaman and wire services.
