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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Israel won't consider deal with Syria over Golan Heights
2008-03-24
(Xinhua) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres said Sunday that Israel will not make a deal with Syria to return the Golan Heights, the Jerusalem Post reported. "If the Golan is given back, it will boost Iran's influence in Lebanon and the territory will effectively be under Iranian-Syrian control," Peres was quoted by the website of local Jerusalem Post as saying during a meeting with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Peres made similar remarks to visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week, when he said "talk of peace with Syria arouses distrust within Israel."

Peace talks between arch-foe Syria and Israel foundered in 2000over the fate of the strategic Golan Heights, which the Syrians lost was occupied by the Jewish state in the 1967 Middle East war.
Posted by:Fred

#7  no international legal basis for keeping it indefinitely

Possession is nine tenths of the law. After 40 years, it's Israels. Spoils of war. Don't want to lose territory? Don't pick fights you can't win. Eventually Israel will probably fall to the Muslims, but no point accellerating it by giving back Golan.
Posted by: Glenmore   2008-03-24 19:42  

#6  this will be denied. Much as Israel sees the need to keep the Golan, theres no international legal basis for keeping it indefinitely (its not disputed territory as the West Bank is) They could legitimately though, press for real peace with Syria, and assert that Syrias relationship wiht Iran is a contradiction of that.

Whats really important here, is Peres assuring Cheney that Israel wont cut a deal with Syria that the US objects to. Israel would love to turn Syria from the Iranian alliance - a turned Syria that no longer supported Hamas and attempted to restrain Hezbollah would very much alleviate Israels worst security threats, and breaking away from Iran would help to. But Syria probably wants more than the Golan for that - they want a free hand in Lebanon. Which might be worth it to Israel, but would run counter to US policy in Leb. So Israel is defering to the US on this. If and when a US admin takes office that wants a deal with Syria, Israel will look at this again.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2008-03-24 16:27  

#5  It's something, though maybe not even a starting point. When I hear "NO partition of Jerusalem" from Israeli authorities, I might move from pessimist to neutral...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2008-03-24 10:37  

#4  The pictures I saw of the Golan Heights looked like it had about a 15 mile view over Syria.
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2008-03-24 10:36  

#3  Just think how history might have been changed if Lee had managed to position a strong force on Little Round Top before the Battle of Gettysburg really got rolling. Israel seems to understand the importance of strategic high ground. (Not to mention the value of control of the watershed in an arid region.)
Posted by: Menhadden Snogum6713   2008-03-24 09:58  

#2  Good.

Those heights would make excellent rocket platform firing positions for attacks into the northern valleys. Israel would slit their own throat if they gave them up.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-03-24 08:12  

#1  FREEREPUBLIC > AL QAEDA NO. 2 [Zawahiri]SAYS FOR MUSLIMS TO ATTACK ISRAEL, US [interests].

ALso, COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG > HAVE TERRORISTS CROSSED [into CONUS?].
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2008-03-24 02:52  

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