ABCNews The Jerusalem File: Israel may talk to Syria
"August 22, 2006
Israel May Talk To Syria
Some of Israel’s leaders are starting to talk about making peace with part of the "Axis Of Evil."
Avi Dichter floated the idea on Israeli Army Radio this week. Dichter is no "dove." He is the Minister of Internal Security and was the head of Shin Bet, the lead security service in Israel.
Simply, the deal would mean Israel gives back The Golan it conquered in 1967 and then latter annexed from Syria and in exchange it would get security guarantees on its border.
Syria would also have to stop supporting Hezbollah and Hamas, two organizations the Israeli government has been trying to topple unsuccessfully for years. The belief is that Lebanon would then fall in line and a three-way peace deal would be possible.
Even critics in Israel are not ruling out talks. One Israeli cabinet minister saying, “Syria houses the worst terrorists there are. Any negotiation with it must be gradual."
For the United States it would mean isolating Iran from Syria, splitting apart the ‘Axis of Evil’ and perhaps adding pressure on Iran when it comes to the nuclear debate.
The complications would be in the details of this deal. The Golan is strategically significant to Israel. Much of the land is a plateau between 400 and 1,700 feet high, looking right down into Israel. The Golan is also an essential source of water for the country, providing more than 12 percent of the nation’s water requirements.
One major stumbling block to any deal maybe the present U.S. administration. Bush has made it clear his government does not negotiate with countries harboring terrorists and he may demand Israel do the same. Still, Dichter is hinting that perhaps a country like the US should step forward
“Israel can initiate it. Ultimately, initiatives of this kind are of a third party – and there is an abundance of third parties in the world. If a third party approaches us, we must reply in the positive."
While this has been talked about for years, Israel is now starting the idea of negotiating again, after accomplishing so little on the battlefield in the 33-day conflict with Syrian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Already, Syria is sending messages back through the media. A Syrian Member of Parliament, Dr. Muhammad Habash told an Arabic newspaper that "in principle Syria has nothing to prevent it from holding public and realistic negotiations (with Israel)."
Israel May Talk To Syria
Some of Israel’s leaders are starting to talk about making peace with part of the "Axis Of Evil."
Avi Dichter floated the idea on Israeli Army Radio this week. Dichter is no "dove." He is the Minister of Internal Security and was the head of Shin Bet, the lead security service in Israel.
Simply, the deal would mean Israel gives back The Golan it conquered in 1967 and then latter annexed from Syria and in exchange it would get security guarantees on its border.
Syria would also have to stop supporting Hezbollah and Hamas, two organizations the Israeli government has been trying to topple unsuccessfully for years. The belief is that Lebanon would then fall in line and a three-way peace deal would be possible.
Even critics in Israel are not ruling out talks. One Israeli cabinet minister saying, “Syria houses the worst terrorists there are. Any negotiation with it must be gradual."
For the United States it would mean isolating Iran from Syria, splitting apart the ‘Axis of Evil’ and perhaps adding pressure on Iran when it comes to the nuclear debate.
The complications would be in the details of this deal. The Golan is strategically significant to Israel. Much of the land is a plateau between 400 and 1,700 feet high, looking right down into Israel. The Golan is also an essential source of water for the country, providing more than 12 percent of the nation’s water requirements.
One major stumbling block to any deal maybe the present U.S. administration. Bush has made it clear his government does not negotiate with countries harboring terrorists and he may demand Israel do the same. Still, Dichter is hinting that perhaps a country like the US should step forward
“Israel can initiate it. Ultimately, initiatives of this kind are of a third party – and there is an abundance of third parties in the world. If a third party approaches us, we must reply in the positive."
While this has been talked about for years, Israel is now starting the idea of negotiating again, after accomplishing so little on the battlefield in the 33-day conflict with Syrian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Already, Syria is sending messages back through the media. A Syrian Member of Parliament, Dr. Muhammad Habash told an Arabic newspaper that "in principle Syria has nothing to prevent it from holding public and realistic negotiations (with Israel)."
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