In 2006, I was able to travel to Israel for the first time. Even as a child, I had learned from my father about the spiritual legacy of the Jewish people, the land God had given them, and how He had protected them. And, best of all, during that amazing year, I was able to set foot on the land myself. There I began to meet and come to know Israelis as friends and allies, and to see with my own eyes the biblical heritage I had inherited as a Christian believer.
My introduction to the land of the Bible itself — and to the people I met — inspired me to stay far longer than I ever intended. In fact, I lived in Jerusalem for 10 years. That was the absolute limit to my visa capabilities, not to mention being away from my American friends and family for a decade. But during that inspiring and deeply informative time, I met several well-connected and loyally committed Israelis. One is my good friend and colleague Charmaine Hedding.
Charmaine is the president of Shai Fund and oversees their global operations, strategy, and partnerships. She has worked for two decades in development management for the nonprofit sector, with a particular focus on the protection of persecuted minorities in the Middle East and Africa, while advocating for freedom of religion and belief. I asked Charmaine to comment on some of the key issues presently confronting and potentially endangering Israel.
What is Israel’s primary threat?
Iran remains Israel’s greatest existential threat. Tehran continues to bankroll Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, drive missile and drone proliferation, and promote an ideology centered on Israel’s destruction. Even as the transitional government in Damascus has reduced Iran’s visible footprint inside Syria, its proxy networks remain deeply entrenched. Israel views these networks as red-line dangers, particularly in relation to Hezbollah’s missile arsenal, which poses the most immediate strategic danger on Israel’s northern front.
Why is Turkey an immediate destabilizer in Syria?
While Iran defines the existential axis of confrontation, Turkey is the most disruptive actor inside Syria today. Ankara has entrenched itself across the north, empowering Syrian National Army militias and Islamist groups that locals describe as abusive, sectarian, and unaccountable. In Christian, Yazidi, Kurdish, Alawite, and Druze areas alike, the same pattern emerges: imported mayors from Idlib, sidelining of minorities, land seizures, desecration of sacred sites, and engineered demographic change. These practices destabilize Syria’s fragile fabric and create conditions for extremist resurgence right along Israel’s borders. Some analysts are saying the next major conflict could be with Turkey and its proxy militias (in Syria).
Turkey’s growing role in regional destabilization is raising concern in Israel and beyond. President Erdogan, leading the Islamist-rooted AK Party, has amplified rhetoric against Israel — calling on Islamic nations to form an alliance against what he terms “Israeli expansionism.” Erdogan declared that “Jerusalem is a Turkish city” and promoted the idea that “Turkey is greater than its borders,” reflecting his expansionist ambitions.
- Support for radical groups: Turkey backs extremist factions in Syria, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) and exerts influence over Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
- Turkey’s proxy warfare: Through groups like the SNA and HTS, Turkey engages in hybrid warfare, gaining strategic depth in Syria and beyond.
- Turkey’s landgrab using safe zones and demographic engineering: Turkish-controlled “safe zones” in northern Syria are linked to forced demographic changes and widespread human rights abuses.
- Turkey’s support for Hamas: Turkey openly supports Hamas, refuses to recognize it as a terrorist organization, and has provided medical treatment for its operatives.
- Turkey’s neo-regional power projection/red apple vision: Erdogan’s ambitions extend into Libya, Somalia, and other unstable regions, aiming to position Turkey as a dominant Islamist power.
- BDS advocacy: Turkey remains active in anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns, further straining ties with Israel.
Who is Ahmed al-Sharaa and why is he an ideological danger to Israel?
Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani) and his HTS faction represent an emerging ideological risk. Al-Sharaa is a hardline Salafi-jihadist who attempts to rebrand himself as simply supporting a politician’s agenda. HTS could present Israel with a durable extremist enclave on its northern flank. Israeli officials treat this prospect with seriousness, emphasizing that decentralization — not the replacement of Assad with another authoritarian jihadi regime — is essential to Syria’s stability.
Is Qatar a strategic enabler of Israel’s enemies?
Qatar is not a military threat like Iran or Turkey, but functions as a powerful enabler of Islamist actors. Doha has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into Hamas, prolonging its governance capacity and military campaigns — sometimes with tacit Israeli approval to stave off Gaza’s collapse. Al-Jazeera, Qatar’s media arm, amplifies Islamist narratives hostile to Israel and fuels delegitimization efforts in the West. Diplomatically, Qatar positions itself as a mediator with groups like Hamas and the Taliban, but its consistent tilt toward Muslim Brotherhood networks strengthens Islamist actors across the region.
Global Layer: Russia, China, and Delegitimization
Beyond the Middle East, Israel faces the strategic convergence of Iran, Russia, and China. These powers increasingly treat Israel as an extension of the U.S. alliance system, providing diplomatic cover for Israel’s enemies. Simultaneously, delegitimization campaigns, lawfare, and surging anti-Semitism undermine Israel diplomatically and erode international support for its right to security.
What is Israel’s Syria policy regarding decentralization and red lines?
Israel has crafted a Syria policy rooted in decentralization, minority protection, and clear security red lines. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has repeatedly emphasized that Israel will judge the new Syrian order by its deeds, not its promises. In his words: “A stable Syria must be a federal Syria.” Israel views decentralization as a means to dilute Islamist dominance in Damascus, create local autonomy for minorities, and safeguard its northern border.
Sa’ar has openly expressed skepticism of the Islamist-tinged new regime, calling it a “jihadist gang” trying to rebrand itself to the West. He has also signaled that Israel is open to “good relations” with Damascus if minorities are protected and jihadists kept away from the Golan. This reflects Israel’s balancing act: pairing humanitarian outreach (aid consignments to Syrian Druze communities) with a hardline security posture (airstrikes to prevent jihadist build-ups and strict demilitarization demands in the south).
What are the Hebrew media’s public themes?
Outlets like N12 and Mako report how Syrians who initially welcomed the new regime are now disillusioned: “Security was promised, but all we got were illiterate police, judges who never studied law, and preachers calling for Islamization.” Other coverage documents forced displacement, land seizures, imposition of Islamist dress codes, and pressure on Christians and Alawites to conform to religious governance norms. These reports underscore Israel’s skepticism and its insistence that decentralization and minority protection are the only viable safeguards against a jihadist-ruled Syria.
How would you summarize your hopes and concerns about Israel during the present political and ideological challenges there?
Israel’s layered threat environment can be summarized as follows: Iran and Hezbollah are the existential adversaries, Turkey is the immediate destabilizer in Syria, Qatar is the strategic enabler, and HTS under al-Sharaa is an ideological risk that could become a military risk. The global layer of Russia, China, and lawfare further compounds these dangers. Against this backdrop, Israel’s Syria policy — anchored in decentralization, protection of minorities, demilitarized southern zones, and continued aerial freedom — represents a strategic attempt to reduce risk, prevent extremist entrenchment, and secure its borders while retaining flexibility to act militarily when red lines are crossed.
What are Israel’s three goals in Syria and how can they be achieved?
- Israeli freedom of action in Syria;
- Make sure HTS/al-Sharaa understands that any action against Israel will result in a blow for blow, while operating below the threshold of full-scale war; and
- Supporting the religious components of Syria such as the Druze in the South near the Golan and the Kurds/DAANES in the North. Israel wants to ensure that Damascus’s decision-making mechanism is devolved.
Charmaine Hedding believes that Syria stands at a critical crossroads — one that holds both promise and peril for its people, for regional stability, and for Israel. After more than a decade of civil war, authoritarianism, and foreign interference, a narrow but urgent opportunity remains to support a future rooted in equal citizen rights for all.
In her view, the greatest opportunity lies in preserving and integrating what has worked in Northeast Syria/DAANES: inclusive, locally-led governance that respects the country’s religious and ethnic diversity. This model could serve as a foundation for rebuilding a unified Syria.
As for Israel — as well as the Druze and Kurdish-led administration — a decentralized Syria would guarantee minority protections. It could also offer a vital buffer against both Iranian and Turkish-backed Islamist expansionism.