Land Purchases Begin in Daraa
The General Authority for Land Ports and Customs has started acquiring the land set aside for a new crossing in Daraa governorate, preparing purchase contracts and completing the legal and administrative steps needed to take ownership. The move was confirmed at a meeting of the Daraa regional administration attended by targeted property owners and senior customs officials.
Ten Plots and 83 Owners
The acquisition covers 10 properties held by 83 owners, a tract the authority put at about 2.3 million square meters. The price was set at $5,000 (USD) per dunum. Owners were asked to complete the paperwork needed to transfer title, including inheritance records and powers of attorney for those living outside the country.
Buying Rather Than Seizing
Deputy authority director Tamim Sawaghi said the body was working to speed up the purchases and clear obstacles to finishing them, urging owners to complete the required documents. Officials stressed that the land would be bought directly from its owners rather than taken under the expropriation law applied by the former government.
Regional director Mohammed Abu Dabous described the session as a continuation of talks held with landowners over the past two months to agree a mechanism for buying the plots for the customs authority.
A Crossing Named for the Uprising
The project revives the old Daraa customs post, which is to reopen under the name "18 March" crossing in a nod to the date the Syrian uprising began. The authority's head and the Daraa governor agreed on the reopening on 7 July 2026, alongside a plan to rehabilitate the old crossing and maintain the international highway that passes through it.
Reviving a Trade Gateway
A working customs post on the international highway would give Daraa a formal gateway for cross-border trade and travel, and a point for levying customs duties. The land purchases are the first concrete step toward reopening the post agreed in July.