Trump urges Syria’s new leader to expel ‘Palestinian terrorists’

President Trump met with Syria’s new leader in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, praising him as a “young, attractive guy” and urging him to eliminate “Palestinian terrorists” from the country. Trump also encouraged Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to join the historic Abraham Accords negotiated during his first term. The meeting marked a significant moment for Al-Sharaa’s emerging government, occurring after Trump lifted long-standing sanctions on Syria. This move provided legitimacy to Al-Sharaa, who had a past as an Al Qaeda-affiliated jihadi leader before disassociating from the group in 2016. Trump, disregarding protocol, lifted the sanctions based on personal relationships, supported by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump described Al-Sharaa as a “young, attractive guy” with a strong past and expressed optimism about his leadership in the war-torn country. The President urged Al-Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords, expel foreign and Palestinian terrorists, assist in combating the Islamic State’s resurgence, and take charge of detention facilities holding Islamic State affiliates in northeastern Syria. The Abraham Accords, a significant foreign policy achievement of Trump’s first term, aimed to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab nations without linking them to Palestinian statehood or Israeli concessions. Despite hosting Palestinian factions and Iranian groups, Syria, under Assad, had maintained a long-standing truce with Israel.