by Avi Abelow
If President Donald Trump fails to act to stop the genocide of Druze in Syria, this crisis may well become his Benghazi.
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The world is watching, horrified but passive, as Sunni militias, some aligned with the Ahmed al-Sharaa regime and others not, sweep through southern Syria, particularly around Sweida, leaving trails of executed Druze civilians in their wake.
Among the victims are American citizens who returned to visit family in Sweida and Jabal al-Druze. Some were dragged from their homes. Others were shot execution-style in executions recorded and circulated online. The brutality echoes the horrors perpetrated by Iranian- and Qatari-backed Hamas terrorists on October 7, atrocities that shocked the world and galvanized global condemnation.
Yet as these videos circulate, Washington remains silent. Why?
Washington's silence
The perpetrators, these “Sunni forces,” are backed by US allies Turkey and Qatar. Tom Barrack, the Trump-appointed envoy to Syria with former business ties to Qatar and a diplomatic history with Turkey, is also enabling them. Barrack’s policies, driven by regional favoritism, have endangered US citizens, abandoned religious minorities, and weakened Israel’s deterrence against unfolding genocide.If President Donald Trump fails to act, this crisis may well become his Benghazi – an indelible moment of moral failure and strategic blindness.
His alignment with Sunni jihadist factions tied to ISIS and al-Qaeda has empowered anti-Western forces, endangered Syrian Druze and Christians, and undermined Israel’s ability to intervene. If Trump wishes to be remembered as a president of moral clarity and an “America First” realist, he must do what Barack Obama never did in Benghazi: act before it is too late.
Prominent conservative voices are sounding the alarm. Mark Levin recently posted on X/Twitter:
“This guy Barrack strikes me as a fool. His friends in the Syrian regime, including ISIS veterans, are slaughtering Druze and other minorities. And he has the gall to condemn the Israeli government for ‘complicating’ matters? This kind of public positioning gives aid and comfort to murderers.”
And again: “I just watched a horrific video of a Syrian terrorist cutting the heart out of a Druze civilian as he was alive and defenseless. Meanwhile, our envoy, Barrack, denounces the Israelis, who are the only people trying to protect them.”
The calls for action are not limited to Americans. Over the past week, Druze community leaders in Syria have issued public appeals for Israeli intervention.
“If the assault on us continues, we would welcome Israeli protection,” Sheikh al-Rishi told Sky News Arabia.
Another statement, broadcast in Arabic, was even more direct:
“If we have to choose, we will choose the lesser evil. And even if it’s considered evil to ask to be annexed to the [Israeli] Golan, it’s a much lesser evil than the evil coming our way.” This is not a new plea. As early as December 2024, Druze leaders met with Israeli officials requesting annexation to the Golan for protection and dignity.
Their fear was well founded.
Israeli strikes in Syria
Israel's presence in southern Syria would not be an occupation. It would be a liberation strategically aligned with persecuted, pro-Western minorities. Such a move would save lives, block Iran’s land corridor to Lebanon, neutralize Turkey and Qatar’s proxy militias, and provide the US with a reliable regional partner, all without a single American soldier on the ground.Yet Barrack is pressuring Israel to stand down. Defense Minister Israel Katz recently rebuked him, stating, “He doesn’t know the facts,” after Barrack condemned Israeli strikes designed to prevent Druze massacres.
This is not stability. It is complicity.
We cannot afford another Rwanda. Another Benghazi. Another Yazidi genocide.
Israel is already acting – striking convoys, opening humanitarian corridors, and treating Druze victims in its hospitals. However, it requires diplomatic space and moral support to move forward. Here’s what must happen now: Replace Tom Barrack. His conflicts of interest and poor judgment endanger American interests and allies. Publicly back Israeli liberation efforts in southern Syria.
Establish a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridor for Druze, Alawite, Kurd, and Christian civilians. Suspend all US support to Sunni militias armed by Turkey and Qatar.
Investigate Barrack’s financial ties to Gulf states.
Reaffirm support for Israel and Kurdish autonomy – two bastions of Western values in the region. Reimpose sanctions on Sharaa’s HTS regime.
If the conservative movement turns its back on Israel, on the Druze, and on the truth, it won’t be Israel that falls; rather, it will be the moral foundation of the West.
This is not about tribal politics or foreign entanglements. It is about right and wrong. About preventing genocide. About choosing truth over appeasement and values over vacuous diplomacy.
Trump has a choice: be the leader who stopped a Middle Eastern genocide, or allow Barrack to turn his legacy into Benghazi 2.0.
History is watching.
And Israel? Israel will do what it always does. Stand alone if it must, defend the innocent, and speak truth, no matter the cost. How tragic if it must do so without the one ally that once promised “Never Again.”
Avi Abelow is the host of the Pulse of Israel daily video/podcast and the CEO of 12Tribe Films Foundation.
Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-863262
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