The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, managed to overthrow the tyrannical regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in nine days.
YONI BEN MENACHEM -- However, despite his success, Al-Julani has not been able to shake off his negative image in the Arab world and the international community as a senior terrorist.
Al-Julani was active in al-Qaeda and ISIS, and even founded his own organization called "Jabhat al-Nusra," which was an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria, and later changed its name to "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham." Now, he needs international legitimacy to rehabilitate Syria and lead it on a new path, different from Assad's.
Five key issues appear to determine whether Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will be removed from the US terrorist list: