CurrenT aFFairs US dictates terms of Syria–Israel peace mel frykberg reports from West Jerusalem

In the double-speak, innuendo, bravado and brinkmanship that characterises political negotiations in the Middle East, a glimmer of hope has emerged with the stated possibility of a negotiated peace between Syria and the Jewish state. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Israeli media that Israel was genuinely interested in resuming talks with Syria. And, he added, he might even be prepared to return the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for a peace treaty with Damascus. Israel seized the Golan plateau, seen as

a vital military asset, during the 1967 SixDay War. Talks between Israel and Syria on the issue were last held in 2000, but broke down over the proposed extent of an Israeli pullback. Olmert’s offer to talk was confirmed by Syrian President Bashar Assad who said Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for full peace with its Arab neighbour. Speaking to the media Assad confirmed the message had been passed from Israel to Syria via Turkey, a trusted arbitrator of both sides. Assad said intensive contacts between Israel and Syria

began following the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006 and the personal intervention of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Martin Indyk, a former US envoy and Middle East negotiator has also called for peace talks in which Israel would return the Golan Heights to Syria in return for a peace treaty and withdrawal of support for Hizbullah fighters, but expressed the belief that Syria was unlikely to negotiate with Israel without an American presence. Recent events follow Israeli military intelligence reports stating that a peace deal

12 The Middle easT June 2008

The golan heights: israel’s prime minister has hinted he may be prepared to return this strategic plateau in exchange for a peace deal