Terror Sanctions Ignored: France Hosts Syria’s Jolani in Shocking Diplomatic Shift

In a move that has stunned human rights groups and political observers, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, Syria’s de facto ruler and leader of the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to the Elysee Palace—marking Jolani’s first official visit to Europe. Despite remaining under UN terrorism sanctions and being a former U.S.-designated terrorist with a $10 million bounty, Jolani was granted a special exemption to travel to France.

The French presidency stated the meeting aimed to “support Syria’s transition to a free, sovereign state,” but critics argue that Macron has effectively legitimized a warlord responsible for massacres, kidnappings, and systemic abuses. Since March, HTS forces under Jolani’s command have slaughtered hundreds of Alawite families, abducted young women into sexual slavery, and launched sectarian attacks on Druze communities near Damascus.

While Macron insisted the talks would address minority protections, many view the meeting as a betrayal of justice. “France is shaking hands with a man whose forces mirror the brutality of Daesh,” one rights watchdog said.

Jolani, once linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh, now leads a regime that has allowed Israeli airstrikes across Syria and even voiced interest in normalizing ties with Israel. “There are indirect negotiations with Israel through mediators,” Jolani admitted during the talks, a stunning reversal from his past anti-Israel rhetoric.

France’s move aligns with its recent diplomatic expansion in Syria. In January, French and German officials visited Damascus for EU-level talks. Macron now backs a “gradual lifting” of EU sanctions and is lobbying the U.S. to delay troop withdrawals from Syria’s volatile regions.

With Israel occupying much of southern Syria and frequent airstrikes hitting areas once held by the former Syrian army, Jolani’s rise—and now Western embrace—marks a dramatic redefinition of power and alliances in the region.

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