Palestine–Syria relations

Bilateral relations

Palestinian-Syrian relations

Syria |
Palestine

Syrian–Palestinian relations refers to the official relations between Syria and Palestine. Palestine has an embassy in Damascus, but Syria has no official representative office in Palestine.

## History

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The two countries share a historical bond that goes back to the Phoenicians. However, in the 20th century, Syria and Palestine were carved up and divided between France and the British Empire.

## Modern relations

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After the outbreak of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Syria sent troops to fight against the Israel Defense Forces.[1] However, the influx of Palestinian refugees into Syria complicated the relationship.

Syria also joined the Six-Day War, which led to even greater complexity. For the Syrians, failure to achieve its war aims damaged its reputation and created further mistrust.[2]

Hafez al-Assad, a Ba'athist, was known for his hostility towards Yasser Arafat and Faisal Husseini, with attempts to divide the Palestinian leadership.[3]

### Syrian civil war

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The Syrian civil war left the Palestinians divided over the Assad regime. Some leaders endorsed the 2011 civil uprisings in Syria and left their Syrian headquarters in Damascus in 2012.[4]

Some Palestinians accused Assad of enabling torture and murder of Palestinians,[5] and later the demolition of Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, notably Yarmouk.[6] Assad was further accused of allowing rape and torture of Palestinian detainees.[7] At the same time, Syrian rebels were also documented to have committed abuses against Palestinians in Syria. One such example comes from the beheading of a Palestinian boy in Aleppo in 2016 by Syrian rebels.[8]

### Post-Assad relations

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On 18 April 2025, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, his first visit to Syria since 2007. They discussed strengthening bilateral ties and regional developments, including Gaza and the two-state solution, and agreed to form joint committees for cooperation.[9] However, on 22 April 2025, after demands from the United States, Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa ordered the arrest of two leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Syria and stated that Syria would seek the dismantlement of all armed Palestinian groups in Syria.[10]

## Palestinians in Syria

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There were more than 500,000 Palestinians in Syria, mostly refugees, before the outbreak of Syrian Civil War.[11]

## See also

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* Palestinians in Syria
* Syria Palaestina
* Embassy of the State of Palestine in Syria
* Foreign relations of Palestine
* Foreign relations of Syria

## References

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1. ^ "Lost Opportunities for Peace in the Arab-Israeli Conflict: Israel and Syria, 1948-2001". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
2. ^ Bowen, Jeremy (5 June 2017). "1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East". BBC News.
3. ^ "Palestinians and the Assad regime: for history and generations to know". Middle East Monitor. 8 July 2014.
4. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (2022-10-18). "Hamas delegation to visit Syria after shunning Assad for years". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
5. ^ "Monitoring Group: Over 35 Female Palestinian-Syrians Killed under Torture in Assad Prisons". Syrian National Coalition Of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces. 12 January 2019.
6. ^ Sanchez, Raf (26 April 2018). "Palestinian refugee camp in Syria turns 'unimaginably brutal' as Assad regime drives Isil out of Yarmouk". The Telegraph - via www.telegraph.co.uk.
7. ^ "'Assad regime tortured, electrocuted and raped Palestinian detainees'". Middle East Monitor. 14 January 2019.
8. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-36835678
9. ^ "President Abbas meets with Syrian counterpart in Damascus, discusses developments". WAFA. 18 April 2025.
10. ^ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-detains-two-leaders-palestinian-islamic-jihad-2025-04-22/
11. ^ "Palestine Refugees in Syria: A Recurring Tragedy". The Elders. 25 November 2015.

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