Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Tuesday that he had discussed the Israel-occupied Golan Heights with President Donald Trump last November, telling him it was not his to give to Israel.
The conversation took place during their meeting in Washington, where al-Sharaa made the light-hearted suggestion that the U.S. could offer New Jersey instead.
The Syrian leader made the revelation in New York during an event on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, replying to a question about Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
"Why do you give them the Golan Heights? You don’t own it in the first place to give it to Israel. If you are keen to give them some land, I think New Jersey is a Democratic state, and it would be better to give them New Jersey rather than the Golan," al-Sharaa recounted their conversation with Trump at the White House.
He stressed that the Golan belongs to its people and that neither the Syrian president, the U.S. president, nor any other party has the right to give it away.
Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, during his first term and renewed that recognition in 2025.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a tour of the occupied Syrian Mount Hermon that Israel controlled the area stretching from Mount Hermon to the Yarmouk River and from there to the Mediterranean Sea, describing it as "absolute control."
Speaking at a discussion organized by the Atlantic Council’s Syria Project, al-Sharaa also revealed that direct talks between Syria and Israel had come close to reaching a 90% agreement in several rounds of negotiations before Israel pulled back at the final stages for various reasons.
Al-Sharaa also reaffirmed Damascus' commitment to the diplomatic track, while stressing that protecting the security and rights of Syrians and securing Israel's withdrawal from territories it occupied after the fall of the previous regime are prerequisites for any discussion of lasting peace.
He added that direct talks between the two sides had begun about a year ago, despite Israel’s continued attacks, incursions, arrests and airstrikes inside Syria, as well as its occupation of additional Syrian territory following the fall of the previous regime on Dec. 8, 2024.
Al-Sharaa said Damascus had nevertheless chosen to address the Israeli actions through diplomacy, dialogue and negotiations, with the involvement of countries friendly to Israel, including the United States.
"We remain engaged in this process, but we need to protect the security and rights of Syrians. Before that is achieved, we cannot talk about peace," he said. "We cannot talk about peace if the rights of Syrians are being taken away."
Regarding the course of negotiations, al-Sharaa said Damascus’ priority was for Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied after the fall of the previous regime and return to the positions it held in 1974 before the two sides move on to security arrangements.
"If those arrangements succeed, we can then move on to discussions about lasting peace," he said.
The Syrian president also stressed that the Golan Heights is Syrian territory, saying its status is recognized by the United Nations and is therefore not open to discussion.
He proposed establishing an international committee to examine Israel’s security concerns and distinguish between genuine concerns and what he described as perceptions.
On the issue of foreign military presence in Syria, al-Sharaa said the number of Russian bases in the country had fallen from around 170 to two, adding that the remaining facilities had been converted into training bases for the Syrian army.
He also said Turkish bases in northwestern Syria were moving toward a legal status following approval by the People’s Assembly.
