Damascus and Jerusalem have agreed a ‘framework’ for greater cooperation, but Washington reportedly harbours plans for a ‘demilitarised economic zone’ featuring the ‘best ski mountain in the Middle East’
January 7, 2026 10:58
Israel and Syria have agreed a new framework for economic and security cooperation after two days of negotiations in Paris.
The US-mediated talks were the fifth round in total, but the first in nearly two months, following a lengthy stalemate.
According to a statement released by Washington, the two sides agreed a "joint fusion mechanism" to "facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States".
While a full security deal was not finalised, one Israeli source reportedly told the Times of Israel that both delegations "expressed a desire" for such an agreement, "under President Trump’s vision for the Middle East".
And a Syrian official reportedly told Channel 12 that the talks created "fertile ground for potential progress toward a security agreement with Israel".
More details of what could be agreed were reported by Channel 12's Amit Segal after apparently receiving a draft of the US proposal for a "joint economic zone" in southern Syria.
According to Segal, this zone would be created along the existing demilitarised corridor bordering the Golan Heights, in which Israel has maintained a presence since the fall of the Assad regime last December.
It would come "complete with energy projects, pharmaceutical plants, and, most Trumpian of all, a ski resort," per the report.
Several data centres and a crude oil pipeline would also be built in the area, which would remain fully demilitarised - a key demand of Israel's.
Segal went on: “The plan offers quite a bit for Syria: roughly $4 billion in GDP growth - a 20 percent increase on its current output - along with an 800-megawatt boost in power capacity, 15,000 new jobs, and a 40 percent reduction in pharmaceutical dependency.
"Israel, for its part, gains the chance to transform an arid buffer zone into a 'dynamic economic corridor,' while enjoying 'reduced military spending' to protect its northern border."
The Swiss border region of Zermatt is said to be an inspiration for the project, with the possibility of "independent tax rules, relaxed visa requirements, arbitration mechanisms for financial disputes, maybe even a shared currency framework," similar to the Swiss-Italian model.
And, according to Axios’ Barak Ravid, one US official claimed: “This economic zone will include wind farms, agriculture, the best ski mountain in the Middle East, and the Druze community that is the best at hospitality.”
But Segal added: "From what I’ve seen, none of the draft documents make peace a formal condition of the plan. It may make peace more likely, but by no means guaranteed."
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