TEL AVIV — The surprising reports in recent days of backchannel talks between Israeli and Syrian officials and other representatives suggest a possible change in the 77-year-old official state of war between their neighboring states. High-level political sources in Israel confirmed to Al-Monitor that an “unofficial meeting” between Israeli and Syrian negotiators had taken place in the United Arab Emirates last month.

Whether the talks, allegedly being mediated by the United Arab Emirates, reflect transient, ad hoc considerations by the two sworn enemies or a rare historical convergence of interests remains unclear. For the moment, Israel and Syria negotiating with their interests converging seems too good to be true. 

Reaching out to Israel

At a news conference on Wednesday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed a Reuters report that his government had engaged in indirect talks with Israel to "calm the situation and prevent it from spiraling out of control." Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a diplomatic backchannel.