Syria is choosing diplomacy with Israel, but can its approach last?

Ever since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Syria has chosen diplomatic engagement with Israel over military confrontation.As Syria’s new government attempts to rebuild the country after more than a decade of war, the country’s officials have committed themselves to a policy of avoiding conflicts with their neighbours.Yet Israel continues to disrupt any efforts at a more sustained peace agreement, including through repeated attacks on Syrian soil. But analysts told Al Jazeera that despite these provocations, Damascus sees the diplomatic track as its only choice.“Syria’s government is intensely pragmatic in that it’s willing to basically sit down and talk to and do deals with people as long as it promotes Syria’s national interest,” Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer on security studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera.Syria’s concernsUnder the al-Assad presidency, Syria was a part of the Iran-driven “axis of resistance” that also included other allies of Tehran. Syrian territory was used to transport weapons and financial aid from Iran to Tehran’s Lebanese allies, Hezbollah.The Syrian military itself, however, has not engaged militarily with Israel since a 1974 disenga...