Israel rejects Syrian offer on the Golan Heights

[bemildred]

---

In the wake of this summer's war in Lebanon, the Golan Heights have re-emerged at the center of the latest land-for-peace proposal that some see as a chance to reshape regional dynamics. In an unexpected move, Syrian President Bashar Assad has offered to end his conflict with Israel if it gives back the disputed territory it's held for nearly 40 years.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and influential U.S. diplomats have rejected the proposal as a meaningless feint from a weak authoritarian ruler. But others, including a growing number of influential Israelis, see the offer as an opportunity to jump-start dormant negotiations at a time when the Middle East is drifting towards further instability.

Israel's defense minister, internal security minister and some of its veteran peace negotiators have urged Olmert to use the opening to lure Syria away from its alliance with hard-line groups that they think pose a greater threat to regional stability.

"I believe it is imperative for Israel to penetrate and shatter the vicious triangle comprised of Iran, Syria and Hamas by creating an impenetrable channel of communication," Uri Savir, Israel's chief negotiator of the Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians, wrote in The Jerusalem Post.

McClatchy

[mainegreen]

1. Isreal should make peace with Syria, but

how will Syria maintain that peace with it's very sizable and growing (and vocal) Palestinian refugee population?

[breakaleg]

2. So, because Israel considers Syria a weak government and not

a real threat, they won't negotiate with them. Interesting. Perhaps that's why Hezbollah and the Palestinian extremests act as they do. It seems Israel only speaks one language - violence. And they recognize that.

I wonder if the Palestinians actually put down all of their arms, if Israel would negotiate with them. It's a strong possibility they wouldn't.

[shergald]

3. Everyone understood that even before Oslo was dead....

that land for peace as a guiding principle was dead. For that matter, it was never more than a pretext to continue the land grab in the West Bank, saying one thing and doing another. Settlement activity was at its highest during the Camp David/Taba 2000 negotiations. In order to understand intentions in this conflict, you really have to observe what people do, not what they say. None of the major political parties in Israel support the land for peace concept. Labor supports the untenable bantustan idea, but they full well know is unacceptable to the Palestinians. Still, they ended up calling it the "generous offer," a lie at best.

Hamas will not recognize Israel's right to exist until Israel accepts the Palestinian's right to an independent, fully sovereign state. And who can blame them? They observe Israel's actions on the ground everyday.