Israel & Syria Working Together To Create New Ski Resort
Mount Hermon — It’s been a busy week for global affairs, so it’s understandable if you haven’t heard about Israel & Syria attempting to normalize their relations. This potential collaboration is being led by a meeting set up by the United States. This week, various ideas were discussed to improve the economic relationship between the two countries. In these negotiations, a skiing-related topic was discussed.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the three countries are discussing developing a new luxury ski resort that would be run by both Israel and Syria.
“The outcome of the meeting reflects a strong, mutual desire to move from denial to genuine cooperation and shared prosperity,” said Tom Barrack, the Trump Administration’s Special Envoy to Syria. “Both sides are committed to a new relationship based on transparency and partnership – one that heals past grievances and accelerates a collaborative future.”
If you’re aware of Mount Hermon, it’s contested land amongst the countries of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. Could probably write a whole book about the mountain’s history, but let’s just focus on recent events.
Israel took possession of a good chunk of the mountain in 1973 as a result of the Yom Kippur War. Following the war, a captured portion of the mountain was returned to Syria. A developer eventually built a ski resort on the Israeli portion, which still operates. Aside from tourism benefits, having the mountain is important for military purposes. For reference, watch Revenge of the Sith.
Following the fall of Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Israel took over more land around Mount Hermon. When this takeover occurred, the owner of the ski resort noted that this new land acquisition meant they could expand the ski resort. However, the talks this week were aimed at finding a compromise over disputed land.
So from a distance, it does seem like an absurd collaboration. However, if you know the area’s geography and historic significance, it does make sense. Now we’ll see if the two former foes can work together on something as bold as this.
Image/Video Credits: MrBoed, Mount Hermon
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