Israel Makes a Peace Offer to Syria
Israel Offers the Golan Heights to Syria in Exchange for Peace
The Telegraph reports that Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert is negotiating with Syria for peace. Syria will have the Golan Heights highlands returned if they will sever all ties with Hezbollah, Iran, and Palestinian militant groups. The offer was made in a secret communique from Ehud Olmert.
Shia Hezbollah is an Islamic political and paramilitary organization that follows a strict Islamic code first established by Ayatillan Khomeini. He was the 1st Supreme Leader of Iran and the developer of the clerical authority theory of "guardianship of the jurisconsult." The official state religion of Iran is Shia Hezbollah. Palestinian militant groups include the political organization Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
In the summer of 2006, it was the Lebanese Shia Hizbollah militia who withstood the battles against Israel and won an eventual standoff, the Telegraph reports. Syria aided the Lebanese Hizbollah with anti-tank rockets and other rockets that devastated Israeli towns providing invaluable support to the Lebanese Hizbollah.
If Syria comes to peace terms with Israel, the militant organizations of Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would be dealt a serious blow in their efforts against Israel.
As the Telegraph states, Israel and Syria have in the past tried hard to negotiate peace. All peace talks were stopped in 2000 because of contention over sovereignty of a strip of land adjoining Lake Kinnert. President Bush is reported to have spoken with Israel's prime minister in May. Unconfirmed reports say that at that time Bush approved of Mr. Olmert's plan of a peace offer. Levinson's report in the Telegraph comes from a story in Yediot Ahranot, an Israeli newspaper.
The Telegraph reports that Yediot Ahranot quotes Mr. Olmert as saying, "I am willing to fulfill my part of this deal," regarding the return of the Golan Heights to Syrian sovereignty. Mr. Olmert expressed his intention of being a "partner for making peace" with Syria.
It now rests with Syria's Bashar al Assad to respond to Mr. Olmert's peace offer. Assad is sympathetic with the Hezbollah and Palestinian efforts and allows these militant groups to maintain headquarters in Damascus. Assad was a key supporter of the Lebanese Shia Hizbollah during the 2006 stand-off battle against Israel.
Bashar al Assad is the Regional Secretary of the Baath Party. He was elected President of Syria after the senior President Assad's death in 2000. The Baath Party, as the constitutionally dominant state political party, is still in control of Syrian government.
Assad opposed invading Iraq and spoke against President Bush's plans during a session of the United Nations Security Council. There has been discord between Syria and the US ever since, with the US accusing Assad of supporting groups that are on the US State Department list. These groups include Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad.
Charles Levinson, "Israel offers the Golan Heights to Syria." The Telegraph.co.uk. URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/09/wmid109.xml
Published by K.L. Hartwig
A retired stockbroker, I am in e-education, tutoring in English Literature and Language and studying for an M.A. in English Linguistics. View profile
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- Israel to Syria: Trade Land for Peace?
- Deal with Syria, Not Iraq
- Syria, Israel Move Closer to Peace Deal
- Israel Had No Choice but to Go to War with Hezbollah
- Egypt: Saudi Arabia, Israel Should Not Meet
- Israel Hints at Possible Iran Strike
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6 Comments
Post a CommentInteresting. I like these articles.
u beliv that Israel will make peace? so far non of the world history had shown that Israel or the jews are the people of peace
Israel must be condemmed 4 creating holocause in plestine, and i till now that hitler had never done any holocouse to the jews
Well, thank you Miss Hardison. Nice to see you here.
Brava. Well done.
Codie, really nice article. You did some really good research on this. Maybe you should consider writing on this topic of Israel-Palestine more often. The coverage I have read of it by others is usually not very good.