Poll shows only 14% of Syrians support normalization with Israel

Only 14 percent of Syrians support normalizing relations with Israel, while Alawite, Druze, and Christian minorities oppose the current Syrian regime’s US- and Israel-backed rule amid widespread sectarian violence, according to a new nationwide poll.

A detailed survey published by Foreign Policy (FP) on Saturday sheds light on public opinion in Syria one year after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammad Jolani, an ex-Daesh and al-Qaeda commander, took power with assistance from the US and Israel.

The poll—conducted through in-person household interviews with 1,229 randomly selected Syrian adults—gauged views on Jolani’s leadership, the economy, sectarian dynamics, transitional justice, and foreign relations.

On foreign policy attitudes, the survey revealed that only 4 percent of Syrians hold a favorable view of Israel and just 14 percent support full normalization.

Talks between the two regimes, ongoing for months, have reportedly stalled due to Israel’s refusal to relinquish occupied territory while continuing frequent incursions into southern Syria, particularly near Quneitra.

Since late 2024, following the fall of the president Bashar al-Assad government during an Israeli-backed onslaught overwhelming Syria, Israeli forces have advanced into a United Nations-designated Area of Separation created in 1974 after a UN-brokered ceasefire.

The 235-square-kilometer zone was originally intended as neutral territory to prevent escalation, patrolled by UN peacekeepers.

Most countries still reject Tel Aviv’s annexation of the broader Golan Heights, seized in 1967.

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According to the poll, nearly all Syrians (92 percent) identified Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its strikes on Iran, Lebanon, and Syria as major security threats.

Despite these concerns, 66 percent of respondents expressed a favorable view of the United States, with 61 percent viewing President Donald Trump positively, partially attributed to his easing of some US sanctions imposed on Syria.

Trump has embraced Syria’s new ruler, who came to power through the Israeli-backed military intervention, and has already hosted him at the White House.

The survey further showed that Syrians remained divided politically on sectarian lines.

The majority Sunni population expressed confidence in Jolani and his administration overall, while Alawite, Druze, and Christian religious minorities said they live in fear of the new regime.

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In Latakia, Suwayda, and Tartous, a much smaller number expressed confidence in the administration (36 percent), the courts (33 percent), the army (22 percent), and Jolani (36 percent).

Since the fall of Assad’s government in December 2024, the HTS-led regime has engaged in sectarian killings, kidnappings, and persecution across Syria. 

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a minimum of 1,600 Alawite civilians were killed in at least 55 distinct massacres during three days beginning on March 7, which were also marked by the organized looting and incineration of their residences.

Since then, the Alawite community has been subject to systematic sectarian attacks and killing sprees. Young Alawite girls continue to disappear as a result of HTS-linked kidnapping networks, and Alawite men are regularly executed.

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