“Saul Finds The Founder and Saviour” : Syrian leader ‘offers to build Trump tower’ in Damascus

But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. Acts 9 : 22

Henry Bodkin

Mon, May 12, 2025 at 2:54 PM GMT+33 min read

Donald Trump is to meet the Islamist leader of Syria amid reports a Trump Tower could be built in Damascus as part of desperately-needed investment.

Despite still being designated a terrorist by the US, Ahmed al-Sharaa is scheduled to hold talks with the president in Riyadh on Tuesday, hosted by Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince.

The meeting, on the opening day of Mr Trump’s visit to the Middle East, could offer a lifeline to the country’s new regime.

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The 42-year-old Syrian leader has reportedly offered Mr Trump investment opportunities, including a Trump tower in Damascus, and is seeking US sanctions relief.

The meeting is likely to cause concern in Israel, which has consistently referred to Mr al-Sharaa as a “terrorist in a suit”.

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When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result….
The enforcement of Sundaykeeping on the part of Protestant churches is an enforcement of the worship of the papacy….
In the very act of enforcing a religious duty by secular power, the churches would themselves form an image to the beast; hence the enforcement of Sundaykeeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.—The Great Controversy, 445, 448, 449 (1911). LDE 131.1 – LDE 131.3

As head of the Islamist rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Mr al-Sharaa led a lightning takeover of Syria in December, overthrowing the dictator Bashar al-Assad and ending 13 years of civil war.

Also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the Syrian joined al-Qaeda in Iraq shortly before the 2003 US invasion and fought for three years against coalition forces as part of the insurgency.

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He spent five years in prison after being captured by the Americans, and subsequently had a brief association with Islamic State, before denouncing the group and, later, jihadism in general.

Mr Trump is scheduled to meet him alongside Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, and Joseph Aoun, the new Lebanese president.

Saudi Arabia has invested significant resources in helping Syria get back on its feet after the long civil war and the kleptocracy of the Assad family, and is likely to have lobbied the White House for this meeting.

Despite the regional support, a lifting of US sanctions against Syria – which would, among other things, allow the country to join the international financial system – is seen as crucial for the future of the regime.

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However, the image of the HTS-led interim government has been tarnished in recent weeks by reports of atrocities against the Alawite and Druze minorities, the latter of which is a group heavily backed by Israel, which has bombed Damascus in a warning against further violence.

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)2 Corinthians 10 : 4

Despite the killings, Jonathan Bass, a pro-Trump activist, reportedly met Mr al-Sharaa for several hours in Damascus in late April.

He subsequently said the leader is seeking a “big business deal for his country”.

“He told me he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants peace with his neighbours. What he told me is good for the region, good for Israel,” said Mr Bass.

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The American said Mr al-Sharaa believed he also shared a connection with Mr Trump in the sense that both of them had survived shooting attempts.

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Any discussions – even preliminary – of investment deals in Syria would fit the theme of Mr Trump’s visit, when he is expected to announce high-value agreements, including arms transactions, with Saudi Arabia, the United Emirates and Qatar.

The Syrian leader recently met French president Emmanuel Macron, and has received indications of support from several other continental European governments, as well as senior EU figures.