Al-Sharaa jokes with Trump: ‘Why not give New Jersey to Israel?’

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has recalled a joking exchange with US President Donald Trump over Israel’s control of the occupied Golan Heights, suggesting that New Jersey could instead be given to Israel.

Speaking at an Atlantic Council discussion on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York on Wednesday, al-Sharaa said he made the remark during a previous visit to the White House when Trump mentioned his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

“I told him, why don’t you give them New Jersey, if you are keen to give Israel some land,” al-Sharaa said, according to Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye.

Al-Sharaa joked that Trump “owns New Jersey” while the Golan Heights belongs to its people, adding that the state is largely associated with Democrats who do not vote for Trump.

He also praised Trump for supporting Syria and lifting US sanctions on the country, describing their relationship as “very special.”

“Regardless of this joke, the Golan Heights belongs to its people, and neither a Syrian president nor a US president has the right to give it away to the other,” al-Sharaa said.

Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and formally annexed the territory in 1981. The UN Security Council declared the annexation “null and void” under Resolution 497. Most countries continue to regard the Golan Heights as Syrian territory under Israeli occupation, while the United States and Colombia have recognised Israeli sovereignty over the area.