View this interview with MK Akram Hasson—and watch the full program, Facing the Middle East with Felice Friedson – Episode 12 [1], on our YouTube channel. This special edition moves from the streets of As-Suwayda to the halls of the Israeli Parliament, revealing the human toll of Syria’s sectarian fighting through an exclusive account from a Syrian woman who says seven of her family members were murdered by the regime. Hear Hasson’s candid take on the crisis in Syria, and meet innovative Arab citizens of Israel who developed a life-saving app that’s already making a difference.
Akram Hasson, an Israeli Druze politician and veteran member of the Knesset, sounded the alarm on what he views as an existential threat to the Druze community, Israel, and the broader region.
Hasson—currently a member of the New Hope party and formerly the head of Kadima, where he made history as the first Druze to lead a Jewish party—outlined his concerns about developments in Syria, the rise of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), and what he views as misguided US policy in the region.
Hasson, who was born in the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel, began by stressing the central role the Druze have played in Syria’s history.
“The Druze in Syria, they are the largest Druze community in the region—around 800,000. We have 152,000 in Israel and about 220,000 in Lebanon,” he explained. “The Druze are Syrian. They helped the Syrian people gain independence in 1925, when they fought the French army. They gave their blood for the state.”
However, Hasson said that the situation changed dramatically under the Assad regime, prompting many Druze to refuse military service to avoid becoming complicit in civilian killings. “They refused to serve in the army—not to be killers.”
But the real turning point, Hasson said, was the emergence of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former commander of Jabhat al-Nusra and an internationally designated terrorist.
He was a killer with blood on his hands
“I was worried from the beginning because I know this man,” Hasson said. “He was a killer with blood on his hands. He was the head of Jabhat al-Nusra, a big terror organization. He operated in Iraq—we know exactly what he did. Then he returned to Lebanon, and now he comes to Syria and wants to be president. It’s a dirty game.”
Hasson expressed disbelief that anyone could accept al-Jolani as a legitimate leader: “How can you accept killer, a man who belonged to a terror organization to become president? The US offered $10 million to catch him or bring his head.”
When asked whether the US was “playing with fire” by attempting to normalize al-Jolani, Hasson did not mince words. “He will be [a terrorist]. When someone is born a terrorist, he will continue. He will not be democratic.”
Hasson cited al-Jolani’s violent actions against minorities—including the Alawites, Yazidis, Druze and Kurds—as proof. “He tells them, ‘Bring your weapons, be part of Syria,’ and two days later, he kills thousands. He did the same with the Druze. In the future, he will do the same to the Kurds.”
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He warned that al-Jolani was not acting alone but had the backing of foreign fighters from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, who were being paid to “kill Syrian citizens.” According to Hasson, al-Jolani’s rise threatens not only the Druze but also Israel.
“The army, the prime minister, the foreign minister—they all support us,” Hasson said. “Because they know these people will come to Israel, armed, and try to kill civilians, just like Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad. You cannot believe these people.”
Turning to American policy, Hasson acknowledged that the US, particularly under President Donald Trump, has been a friend to Israel. But he said Trump’s efforts to broker peace in the region through business-focused diplomacy, like the Abraham Accords, are misguided in the Syrian context.
He said that Trump wants peace with Syria and Lebanon to pave the way for Saudi Arabia. But he doesn’t understand how things work in the Middle East. Hasson said. “The only democratic country in the Middle East is Israel. … There is terror everywhere [else].”
You can’t do peace with terror
He said peace with Syria under al-Jolani is impossible unless the leader includes minorities and conducts democratic elections. “Not to kill minorities and destroy cities. You can’t do peace with terror.”
Hasson further criticized Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for funding and arming al-Jolani’s forces. “They give weapons. We see it every day. We’re in the same army in Israel. We hear from our brothers what’s happening; women and children being killed.”
The media has tended to portray the violence in Syria as a tribal feud, but Hasson said the conflict has deeper roots.
“There’s been tension for 100 years, but now the president gives weapons to the Bedouin to destroy Druze villages like As-Suwayda,” Hasson said. “It’s all part of the game.”
In his view, the solution is clear: “We cannot trust this man. … We must kill this terrible terrorist. And we must destroy his government because they are not Syrian.”
Hasson accused al-Jolani of aiming to expand his influence beyond Syria. “He said, ‘We will meet in Jerusalem.’ For what? To have peace?” He added, “We know these people that they have only one way. If you will believe in the Islamic Jihad, in his way and his thinking, you are okay. If you belong to another minority, to another religion, you are against him.”
When asked about reports that the Syrian government had begun removing Bedouin from Druze areas, Hasson said it was a ploy.
“He’s trying to give another picture to America and Israel” that he removed the Bedouin. “But we don’t believe him because just this morning, they bombed our villages in Syria.”
Hasson pointed to Turkey’s role in supplying weapons and pledged to take the issue to international courts. “We’re going to the United Nations with our ambassador, Danny Danon. We will be in the higher court in Holland [the International Criminal Court in The Hague] with all the evidence.”
He concluded the topic of Syria with a bleak prediction: “There’s no peace or future for the Druze in Syria. I ask Israel to take all the area of the Druze from As-Suwayda till Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.”
Hasson also said he hopes the Kurds—who control large areas in Syria and have experience fighting Turkey—can be part of a future solution. But he warned that Turkey, under President Erdoğan, poses its own threat.
“Erdoğan killed hundreds of thousands of Kurds in Turkey, and he told everyone he is democratic.” Hasson pointed out that Erdoğan even jailed the mayor of Istanbul and is becoming “even more [of a] fanatic.”
He decried the fact that there were no leaders in the region standing with Israel.
Wearing a yellow pin in solidarity with the hostages, Hasson responded with profound emotion when discussing the captives still held in Gaza and the ongoing war.
“We lost our best Druze officers in Gaza. Colonel Ehsan Daksa from my city gave his life.” Regarding bringing the hostages back, Hasson said, “We’ll give our blood” for their return. “It’s humanity.”
Hasson contrasted Israel’s values with those of Hamas. “We believe one soldier’s life means everything. … They have 6,000 Hamas members in our prisons,” and yet, “Nobody [among Hamas] asks about them.”
He acknowledged ongoing negotiations involving the US, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but warned: “No one in our government can accept a future where Hamas continues to rule Gaza.”
“We’re dealing with the largest terror force in the region,” Hasson said. “They don’t believe in God. They don’t believe in life.”