Analysis: The atrocities in Syria are a consequence of the legitimacy given to al-Golani

Since the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the seizure of power by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Muhamad al-Golani, leader of the organization and de facto president of the country (supposedly on an interim basis), has tried to portray a moderate image.

In fact, his nom de guerre has ceased to be heard, as he began to show himself dressed in a suit leaving behind his terrorist clothes from an organization that in the past was affiliated with Al-Qaeda. He met with several leaders from the Middle East, Asia and the West, as well as with important international figures, such as the secretary general of the U.N. and the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), while promising to respect minorities and to establish an "inclusive" government.

In this way, all these figures who met with al-Golani hastily gave legitimacy to a government that generated great distrust due to the fact that it was (and is) led by an Islamic terrorist organization.

However, it has not taken long for the mask of al-Golani's coat, tie and good manners to fall off. The images circulating online with murders and torture of various minorities, such as Christians and the Muslim Alawite population, of which al-Assad is a part, continue to shake the world.

As if this were not enough, al-Golani has even dared to take aim at Israel for its anti-terrorist operations in the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7 massacre and for carrying out missions in order to prevent terrorists from also massacring Druze residents in the south of the Arab country and protecting the northern border of the Jewish state.

The legitimacy provided by the UN, Europe and the ICC to al-Golani

In early January 2025, less than a month after the fall of al-Assad, German Foreign Minister Annalena Bearbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot visited al-Golani in Syria, where a controversy ensued after the Syrian leader refused to shake hands with the European official on religious grounds.

Despite the controversy, Barrot maintained that both ministers had received assurances from al-Golani that his government would broaden participation in the political transition, particularly for women. Europeans believed, and some still believe despite the atrocities committed by HTS, that they were (or are) facing a leader who left radical Islamism for a democratic and pluralistic stance. Is that called naïveté, hypocrisy or cynicism? Maybe it's a combination of all three.

Then came the turn of probable sexual abuser and chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, who met with al-Golani in Syria in mid-January in order to ensure that the al-Assad regime is held accountable for the crimes it committed during the civil war that ravaged the country for 13 years, which left more than 500,000 dead and more than 6 million displaced.

Khan, who issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged "war crimes" for fighting terrorists who perpetrated the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust simply because they were Jews, went to Syria to grovel before a leader of an Islamic terrorist organization whose respect for human rights is not, shall we say, among his priorities.

Unsurprisingly, U.N. Secretary General and terrorist sympathizer António Guterres, who justified the Oct. 7 massacre by claiming that it did not occur "in a vacuum," met in early March with al-Golani in the framework of the summit held by the Arab League in Egypt to address, primarily, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

The U.N. said that during the meeting between the U.N. secretary-general and al-Golani, the "historic opportunity" that the new government represents for Syria was addressed. It also noted that Guterres has recognized the important steps taken towards a political transition in the Arab country.

In addition, Guterres emphasized the need for an inclusive process.

Clearly, the U.N. secretary general knows no shame. Days after these statements, al-Golani seemingly made a mockery of him, and the jihadists launched their campaign of murder and torture.

After the recent atrocities in Syria, Guterres merely condemned the events and called for the protection of civilians, without repudiating anyone in particular. Moreover, one wonders who he is asking to defend the people. Is it the same people who are committing the killings? Ridiculous.

Of course he is not going to say much more about it or claim that it did not happen "in a vacuum" or anything of the like. When Arabs kill Arabs, it is irrelevant. For Guterres, as for so many others, no Jews, no news.

During the Arab League summit, al-Golani also met with António Costa, president of the European Council, who invited him to participate in the annual Conference on Syria, which will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on March 17. Perhaps they will roll out the red carpet for him, which will represent the blood of the victims of the jihadists.

Costa maintained at the meeting that the European Union (E.U.) emphasized its commitment to a peaceful and inclusive political transition in Syria. If the matter were not tragic, it would generate widespread laughter.

Al-Golani's cynicism

As mentioned, since the fall of al-Assad in early December 2024, Israel has deployed forces in a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which separates Israeli and Syrian forces, and has carried out attacks on military installations to protect the Druze and their territory.

During the Arab League summit, in a statement riddled with cynicism, al-Golani urged the international community to pressure Israel to withdraw from southern Syria, as Israeli operations pose, according to him, a direct threat to security and peace in the entire region.

Also, amidst the killings targeting minorities in Syria, al-Golani even dared to respond to Jerusalem's repudiation of the murders committed by Syrian terrorists, claiming that Israelis "are the last ones who can talk" about atrocities due to the "tens of thousands" of Palestinians killed Gaza and Lebanon as a result of the war, Reuters reported.

The al-Golani government also denied any responsibility for the killings.