Report: Israel mulling international summit that would divide Syria into cantons

Israeli government and security officials have reportedly been holding covert talks about the future of Syria, including an initiative for an international summit that would discuss a proposal to split Syria into different administrative divisions (cantons) in order to guarantee the safety and rights of all Syrian ethnic groups.

The Israel Hayom daily, without citing a source, says top officials in the security establishment and the government have discussed the possibility since the fall of the Assad regime last month, and Energy Minister Eli Cohen has proposed holding the international summit during which it would be weighed.

The developments reportedly happened during a security cabinet meeting two days ago helmed by Defense Minister Israel Katz, ahead of an imminent discussion led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ministers are also said to have discussed Turkey’s influence in Syria and ways to counter it, as well as suspicions regarding new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and fears for the Druze and Kurdish minorities.

The goal of holding the international summit would be to enable Israel to defend itself from the threats posed by the Islamist former rebel groups that are now in power and aren’t committed to a decades-old Israel-Syria ceasefire agreement.

“The main fear is that an idea that is identified with Israel will necessarily not be accepted in Syria, which is why the discussions on the matter are classified,” Israel Hayom says in its report.