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Republicans Back Israel’s Annexation Plan, Democrats Issue Strong Warning

A banner in Jerusalem from an American Zionist organization in support of annexation in the West Bank (AFP)
A banner in Jerusalem from an American Zionist organization in support of annexation in the West Bank (AFP)
    Washington, Tel Aviv - Rana Abtar, Nazir Magally
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Republicans Back Israel’s Annexation Plan, Democrats Issue Strong Warning

A banner in Jerusalem from an American Zionist organization in support of annexation in the West Bank (AFP)
A banner in Jerusalem from an American Zionist organization in support of annexation in the West Bank (AFP)

Reflecting partisan differences over Israel’s annexation plans for portions of the West Bank, a majority of Republican members of the US House of Representatives have signed a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsing Israeli annexation of settlements in the West Bank.

The letter, which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of, has so far garnered 116 signatures out of 198 Republicans in the House at a time when Democrats are pressing Israel not to go ahead with annexation.

“We write to reaffirm the unshakeable alliance between the United States and Israel, to emphasize that Israel has the right to make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure, and to express our support for you as you make such decisions in your capacity as Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister,” said the letter sent Netanyahu.

They said they were “deeply concerned by threats being expressed by some to retaliate against Israel as it makes decisions to ensure defensible borders.”

They declared support for “the Trump administration’s engagement with Israel on the Vision for Peace Plan, which was based on the critical premise that Israel should never be forced to compromise its security.”

These statements angered Democrats who had previously warned Israel that any unilateral decision to annex settlements would harm the historical ties between the US and Israel.

Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Ben Cardin and Robert Menendez expressed their disapproval of the action.

“A sustainable peace deal that ensures the long-term security of Israel and self-determination for Palestinians must be negotiated directly between the two parties,” they said in a statement.

“Unilateral annexation runs counter to those longstanding policies and could undermine regional stability and broader US national security interests in the region.”

In addition to these positions, more than 120 Democrats have signed a document opposing annexation, and the document's supporters are still seeking to sign more signatures to show the Democrats' strong opposition to the issue of annexation, at a time when 19 democrats wrote a letter to the Israeli leaders.

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Syria Forms Committee to Draft Transitional Constitutional Declaration

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa talks to attendees during a national dialogue, a key milestone in the transition to a new political system after decades of Assad rule, in Damascus, Syria February 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa talks to attendees during a national dialogue, a key milestone in the transition to a new political system after decades of Assad rule, in Damascus, Syria February 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Syria Forms Committee to Draft Transitional Constitutional Declaration

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa talks to attendees during a national dialogue, a key milestone in the transition to a new political system after decades of Assad rule, in Damascus, Syria February 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa talks to attendees during a national dialogue, a key milestone in the transition to a new political system after decades of Assad rule, in Damascus, Syria February 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced on Sunday the formation of a committee to draft a constitutional declaration for the country's transition after the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The new authorities are focused on rebuilding Syria and its institutions after Assad's removal on December 8, ending more than half a century of his family's iron-fisted rule and 13 years of devastating war.

The presidency announced "the formation of a committee of experts", including one woman, tasked with drafting "the constitutional declaration that regulates the transitional phase" in Syria.

The seven-member committee would "submit its proposals to the president", it said in a statement, without specifying a timeframe.

In late January, Sharaa, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which spearheaded Assad's overthrow, was appointed interim president for an unspecified period.

Syria's new authorities have repealed the Assad-era constitution, and Sharaa has said rewriting it could take up to three years.

In late January, Sharaa promised a "constitutional declaration" to serve as a "legal reference" during the country's transitional period.

Sunday's announcement came "based on the Syrian people's aspirations in building their state based on the rule of law, and building on the outcomes of the Syrian national dialogue conference", said the presidency.

It also came "with the aim of preparing the legal framework regulating the transitional phase", it added.

A national dialogue conference held this week in Damascus set out a path for the new Syria.

The committee includes Abdul Hamid al-Awak, who holds a doctorate in constitutional law and lectures at a university in Turkiye, and Yasser al-Huwaish, who was appointed this year as dean of Damascus university's law faculty.

It also includes Bahia Mardini, a journalist with a doctorate in law who has been living in Britain, and Ismail al-Khalfan, who holds a doctorate in law specializing in international law, and who this year was appointed law faculty dean at Aleppo university.

Another committee member, Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, holds a doctorate in law specializing in international law from Idlib university, where he graduated in 2023.

The final statement of this week's dialogue conference called for "a constitutional committee to prepare a draft permanent constitution for the country that achieves balance between authorities, sets the values of justice, freedom and equality, and establishes a state of law an institutions".

Syria's conflict broke out in 2011 after Assad brutally repressed anti-government protests.

It spiraled into a complex conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions more domestically and abroad and battered the economy, infrastructure and industry.

In December, a caretaker government was appointed to steer the country until March 1, when a new government was due to be formed.