U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, under the gaze of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, during a multilateral meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Sept. 22, 2026. (Credit: Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
BEIRUT — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Tuesday, jokingly, that he had once proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump that he “give the state of New Jersey to Israel” instead of the Golan Heights in Syria. Located in southwestern Syria, the Golan, where Sharaa is from, has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
The American president officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the disputed territory in 2019, during his first term. In December 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Golan would remain part of the State of Israel “for eternity.”
"I was joking with President Trump once, during a visit to the White House, when he brought up his recognition of the Golan. I told him, why not give them New Jersey? You don't own the Golan to give it to Israel. In New Jersey, they're Democrats, I don't think they'll vote for Trump, so it would be good if he gave them New Jersey," said the Syrian president, as the audience burst out laughing.
"The Golan belongs to people and neither the Syrian president nor the American president has the right to give it to anyone," Sharaa added, in a discussion with U.S. diplomat Brett McGurk, during an event organized by the Atlantic Council think tank on the sidelines of his visit to New York to take part in the U.N. General Assembly.
No peace as long as Syrians' rights are denied
Sharaa also stressed that, despite ongoing talks with Israel, he does not intend to normalize diplomatic relations with the country, which occupies the Golan Heights, and carries out incursions into Syrian territory and airstrikes on various regions. "Despite everything, Syria has chosen to use diplomacy and to resolve this problem through dialogue and negotiations, while seeking the help of Israel's friends, particularly the United States," he said, acknowledging that "things are not easy."
He said that, on several occasions, a security agreement had been "90%" finalized before the Israelis suddenly backed out "for different reasons." He stressed that he did not want to talk about a peace agreement "as long as Syrians' rights are denied."
Regarding Lebanon, and asked about Donald Trump's repeated statements concerning a Syrian role in Hezbollah's disarmament, Sharaa stressed that Damascus wants to "strengthen Lebanese authorities, so that they have better institutions, so that no weapons are used outside the rule of law, and to improve the social and economic situation" in the neighboring country.
"President Trump supported Syria and made the historic decision to lift sanctions on Syria. I respect him a lot and we have a very special relationship," Sharaa added.
Donald Trump lifted U.S. sanctions against Syria in 2025, which had been imposed during the Assad regime.
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