From Terror Leader to 'Pillar of the State': Al-Jolani Receives Official Stamp and Promise for the Golan Heights
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Syria for the first time since 2009, backing the regime of Ahmed al-Shara (al-Jolani) and declaring the Golan Heights Syrian territory. The visit raises questions about human rights under the Islamist regime.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Syria for the first time since 2009, in a historic visit that gave a tailwind to the regime of President Ahmed al-Shara, known by his jihadist name Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former al-Qaeda commander. At a press conference, Guterres stated that "the Golan Heights is Syrian territory" and that the current status quo is "completely unacceptable." The irony: al-Shara's nickname, al-Jolani, was given due to his family's origin from the Golan Heights. The visit was intended to present a front of regional reconciliation and reconstruction, but the transition period under Islamist rule is not without difficulties: in the past year, nearly 1,500 members of the Alawite community and hundreds of Druze have been killed by factions affiliated with the government. Guterres will have to navigate between institutional support for the regime and serious human rights concerns.