Back on the Syria Track?
April 24, 2008 by Rabbi Brant Rosen
Could there be something in the air between Israel and Syria? We’ve receiving reports that the two countries have been back channeling with the help of Turkey for some time - and now Syrian President Assad has told a Qatar newspaper that Turkish involvement had yielded an Israeli offer to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for a peace treaty.
The inevitable diplomatic two-step has already begun. Olmert’s office does not confirm or deny anything, and the report has already set off a political firestorm in Israeli political circles. But the momentum seems to be continuing. For his part, Assad is saying direct talks could not happen without US involvement - but that this could never happen until a new US President takes office. (No surprise there…)
I’ve blogged about Syrian - Israeli peace efforts before, but I’ll restate my own two cents for the record: I believe an accord would go a long way to stablize the region, improve the climate for Israeli-Palestinian talks, and further mitigate the influence of Iran. Is Assad serious? There’s only one way to find out. As I am fond of saying, where there’s talk, there’s hope.
Click here for an AP article on the latest developments.
“As I am fond of saying, where there’s talk, there’s hope.” So true. Where is the US administration in encouraging Israel and Syria to make more talk and ultimately a treaty?