Sa’ar urges European counterparts not to trust Syria’s new ‘Jihadist Islamist’ leaders

Addressing 20 European Union counterparts in Brussels, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar calls for Europe not to trust the new government in Syria.

“I hear talks about transition in Syria,’ Sa’ar says at the second EU-Israel Association Council meeting since 2012. “This is ridiculous. The new government is a Jihadist Islamist terror group from Idlib.”

He blasts the new government for harming the Kurds, and even points at “vengeance” being exacted on the Alawites, the minority community from which Bashar al-Assad hailed.

“A stable Syria can only be a Federal Syria that includes different autonomies and respects different ways of life,” he says.

Sa’ar is more optimistic about Lebanon, saying, “There is an opportunity for positive change.”

“There is an opportunity for the transformation of Lebanon from Iranian occupation to the pragmatic Arab camp,” he says, adding that a better future is contingent on the Lebanese army being stronger than Hezbollah.

He calls on the international community to make it clear to Iran that if it moves ahead with its nuclear program, the survival of the regime will be at risk.

Foreign ministers from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Romania, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and 11 other countries participate.

Sa’ar argues that Europe and Israel face common threats, and both sides have an interest in strong ties.

“Our relations should not be held hostage to the bitter conflict we have with our Palestinian neighbors,” he says.