Israeli media has increasingly claimed that the PKK terrorist organization laying down arms would harm the interests of the country.
The media reports claimed that the PKK’s move could result in regional changes, thus disadvantaging Israel.
In an analysis in Haaretz newspaper, the cease-fire can change Syria’s power dynamic and challenge Israel’s presence there. Reminding that the Syrian airspace had been held open to Israel during the reign of the Baath regime in coordination with Russia, it said that increasing Turkish influence could lead to the closure of the airspace for Israel.
The paper also claimed that the PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, may lose U.S. support and come into a position where it is obliged to listen to the directives of Damascus.
In this case, it was assessed that Türkiye could also withdraw from safe zones in northern Syria and Israel would be in a difficult position internationally as an "occupying power in southern Syria."
Similarly, Channel 14 said that the recent developments showed the beginning of a new era, while Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper indicated that a possible YPG-Damascus agreement would influence Türkiye’s stance.
On the other hand, The Jerusalem Post noted that if the U.S. administration changes its Syria policy, the terrorist group will have to agree with the Syrian administration.
The analyses come after the PKK declared a cease-fire with Türkiye on Saturday, following a landmark call by jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan asking the group to disband and end more than four decades of terror.
After several meetings with Öcalan at his island prison, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) last week relayed his appeal for the PKK to lay down its weapons and convene a congress to announce the organization's dissolution.
The move could have wide implications for the region where the PKK has been active for decades, even affecting Türkiye’s relations with its neighbors.
Meanwhile, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine that Washington can help Syria by withdrawing its forces and cooperating with the new Damascus government in the fight against Daesh.
In his article “America Can Best Help Syria By Getting Out,” he underlined that his country can choose to partner with a stronger and more effective player after Bashar Assad’s fall and rely on the government instead of the YPG.
He added that working with the government could also lead to better local support than working with the YPG. Underlining that the Donald Trump administration should open dialogue channels with Damascus, Ford said the two could discuss how to position Syrian forces in areas where Daesh operates and possibly share intelligence.
“The U.S. must be willing to let the SDF down and encourage it to fold into the structures of the new Syria,” Ford said using an alternative acronym for the YPG, adding that Washington should press the YPG to dissolve gradually.
“Public activism, reinforced by the rule of law and the protection of political and personal freedoms, is the only way Syria will build a genuine democracy. It will be slow and messy, and it will, above all, be an issue for Syrians to resolve. But it should not require an American hand on the wheel – or American boots on the ground,” he concluded.
