Protests Continue in Syria’s Sweida, Calls for Decentralization Rise

Roads are blocked in Sweida, Syria, on Thursday (Sweida 24 site - Reuters)
Roads are blocked in Sweida, Syria, on Thursday (Sweida 24 site - Reuters)
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Protests Continue in Syria’s Sweida, Calls for Decentralization Rise

Roads are blocked in Sweida, Syria, on Thursday (Sweida 24 site - Reuters)
Roads are blocked in Sweida, Syria, on Thursday (Sweida 24 site - Reuters)

Popular protests continued on Saturday in the province of Sweida, southern Syria, against the deteriorating living conditions in the country, especially in light of the recent increase in fuel prices.

Sources reported that demonstrators blocked the Damascus-Sweida road near the village of Al-Mutonah for an hour before reopening it.

Amid these developments, there were calls for a general strike on Sunday in response to what protestors described as “rampant corruption and favoritism in government circles” and to protest the declining living standards.

In the demonstrations over the past days, some protesters have held signs advocating for decentralization, while others demanded the departure of those who fail to offer solutions to the people’s problems.

Protests have emerged as the Syrian pound continues its decline. On Friday, it dropped to the 16,000-pound mark against the US dollar, only to slide to 14,600 pounds per dollar within hours.

The pricing of goods in markets is set based on the anticipated highest exchange rate of 16,500 pounds to safeguard against potential losses amid fluctuating exchange rates and rising inflation.

International estimates suggest that over 95% of Syrians now live below the poverty line.

Protests had erupted in Sweida on Wednesday in response to the government’s decision to raise fuel prices, reduce subsidies and increase public sector wages by 100%.

However, even with this raise, the salary now equates to just $20 – an amount that barely covers two days’ expenses for an individual, especially amidst the sudden surge in inflation that started Wednesday.

This economic instability resulted in significant market disruptions and led to transportation strikes by private bus operators in most Syrian provinces

Various regions in Daraa witnessed protests condemning the living conditions and opposing recent government decisions.



Jerusalem Patriarch Hails Pope’s Commitment to Gaza

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
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Jerusalem Patriarch Hails Pope’s Commitment to Gaza

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks during a press conference at the Latin Catholic patriarchate at the Old City of Jerusalem, 22 April 2025. (EPA)

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on Tuesday hailed Pope Francis's support for Gazans and engagement with the small Catholic community in the war-battered Palestinian territory.

The Catholic church's highest authority in the region, who is considered a potential successor to the late pontiff, Pizzaballa told journalists in Jerusalem that "Gaza represents, a little bit, all what was the heart of his pontificate".

Pope Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, advocated peace and "closeness to the poor... and to the neglected one", said the patriarch.

These positions became particularly evident in Francis's response to the Israel-Hamas war which broke out in October 2023, Pizzaballa said.

"He was very close to the community of Gaza, the parish of Gaza, he kept calling them many times -- for a certain period, also every day, every evening at 7 pm," said the patriarch.

He added that by doing so, the pope "became for the community something stable, and also comforting for them, and he knew this".

Out of the Gaza Strip's 2.4 million people, about 1,000 are Christians. Most of them are Orthodox, but according to the Latin Patriarchate, there are about 135 Catholics in the territory.

Since the early days of the war, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, and some Orthodox Christians have also found refuge there.

Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war. The day before his death, in a final Easter message delivered on Sunday, he condemned the "deplorable humanitarian situation" in the besieged territory.

"Work for justice... but without becoming part of the conflict," said Pizzaballa of the late pontiff's actions.

"For us, for the Church, it leaves an important legacy."

The patriarch thanked the numerous Palestinian and Israeli public figures who have offered their condolences, preferring not to comment on the lack of any official message from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Even as "the local authorities... were not always happy" with the pope's positions or statements, they were "always very respectful", he said.

Pizzaballa said he will travel to Rome on Wednesday, after leading a requiem mass for the pope at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in the morning.

As one of the 135 cardinal electors, the Latin patriarch will participate in the conclave to elect a new pope.

Pizzaballa, a 60-year-old Italian Franciscan who also speaks English and Hebrew, arrived in Jerusalem in 1990 and was made a cardinal in September 2023, just before the Gaza war began.

His visits to Gaza and appeals for peace since then have attracted international attention.