Syria’s main crossing points with Jordan and Israeli occupied Golan Heights have been reopened, years after being halted by war. This represents an important victory for President Bashar al – Assad as he seeks to rebuild the country The Nasib border crossing is an international border crossing between Syria and Jordan. It is the main crossing for Syrian exports..
Syria’s main crossing points with Jordan and Israeli occupied Golan Heights have been reopened, years after being halted by war. This represents an important victory for President Bashar al – Assad as he seeks to rebuild the country.
Background
The Nasib border crossing is an international border crossing between Syria and Jordan. It is the main crossing for Syrian exports to Jordan and other Arab countries. This crossing between Jordan and Syria, known as Jaber on the Jordanian side and Nassib on the Syrian side was closed in April 2015 after it fell under the control of Free Syrian Army and Al Nusra Front. On 6th July 2018, the Syrian army recaptured the crossing.
The Quneitra crossing is the only crossing point between the Syrian controlled and Israeli occupied portion of Golan Heights. Israel captured Golan from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war, which then divided the Syrian Druze community. U.N Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) monitored the frontier since 1974 ceasefire deal but left in 2014. In July 2018, the Syrian forces recaptured the area and the Russian military was deployed.
Analysis
Syria’s commercial gateway with Jordan and a crossing with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights manned by UN peacekeepers were reopened years after war disrupted their operations. Its reopening indicates the completion of logistical and security preparations at the border crossings. The crossings opened for the first time in three years, promising to restore trade and movement that had been halted because of the Syrian civil war.
The Naseeb crossing was closed in 2015 when it fell to rebel hands, disrupting a major trade route between Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the other Gulf countries. More than 7,000 trucks used to make the crossing between Syria and Jordan daily before the passage was shut. The closure caused serious economic repercussions across the region.
Jordan relies heavily on imports and foreign aid, much of which used to pass through Syria. A year before the war in 2011, annual cross-border trade between the two countries was pegged at €530 million euros ($615 million). The crossing is also important to Lebanon, which has used it to access foreign markets for its agricultural exports.
The Quneitra crossing between Israel and Syria reopened for United Nations observers who had left the area four years ago. The UN, Israel and Syria agreed to re-open the crossing as part of an effort to allow UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) peacekeepers to carry out their mandate to maintain a decades-old ceasefire between Israel and Syria.
The reopening of the crossings is a major boost to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. It also reinforces the Syrian government’s message that it is slowly emerging victorious from the seven-year conflict and that Arab countries are once again willing to deal with Damascus. Speaking at a UN ceremony marking the reopening, Maj. Nehemia Berki said the reopening “symbolizes the reinforcement of the 1974 disengagement agreements between the two sides and re-empowers the UN ability to enforce the accords.” Berki acts as the liaison between the Israeli army and the United Nations.
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has praised the agreement between Jordan and Syria to open a main border crossing between the two countries, saying it will benefit the country whose imports to the Gulf fell by 35% because of the closure. Jordan government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat said the Naseeb crossing is a vital lifeline for trade between the “two brotherly countries.”We are brothers. Our economy is connected to the Syrian economy,” said Abdel-Salam Theyabat, the head of a Jordanian chamber of commerce.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem discussed “speeding up” the process reopening Syria’s border crossings with Iraq at a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Damascus. The Arab countries had isolated the Syrian government since the early days of the war, freezing its membership in the 22-member state Arab League. The opening of the crossing is a “signal of the return of stability to Syria and the failure of the efforts to divide the country,” said Syrian army Brig. Mazen Younes.
Syria’s war has killed an estimated 450,000 people and drawn in regional and international powers, leaving entire towns and neighbourhoods in ruins. Aided by Russia and Iran, the Syrian military has clawed its way back and recaptured key territories from the Syrian opposition in the past two years.
Assessment
Our assessment is that the reopening of the crossings represents a diplomatic victory for the Syrian government that was shunned by its Arab neighbours. We believe that it will help to restore a key Middle East trade route which will enhance the position of Damascus at the regional level. The gradual recovery of the economy will also accelerate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
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