SYRIA STILL SUPPLYING HEZBOLLAH WITH WEAPONS

Peres to Lavrov: Syria still supplying Hizbullah with arms (JPost)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Israel on Thursday, after reportedly saying in Damascus that a touted peace conference in Moscow would deal with the Golan Heights - only to be told by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he is not even convinced of the utility of such a get-together for the Palestinian track.

Israel has roundly rejected past attempts to revive the idea of an international peace conference dealing with the Golan. According to the Prime Minister's Office, Lavrov raised the conference idea with Olmert, who remained noncommittal even on the Palestinian track....

Syria also came up during a meeting Lavrov held with President Shimon Peres, with Peres saying that Damascus was continuing to transfer weapons to Hizbullah in Lebanon, and that this transfer of weapons called into question the sincerity of Syria's signals regarding peace negotiations.

ASSAD: MIDEAST PEACE PLAN MUST INCLUDE GOLAN

Assad: Mideast peace plan must include Golan (JPost)
Syrian President Bashar Assad, reiterated Thursday that any Middle East peace initiative formulated at the upcoming Middle East conference that did not include talks on the Golan Heights "would not be serious" and could not achieve a just peace in the region.

Assad's comments followed a meeting he held in Damascus with Arab League chief Amr Moussa.

Syria has repeatedly said it would attend the conference, due before the end of the year in Annapolis, Maryland, only if discussions included the return of the Golan.

Earlier Thursday, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported that Syria will be attending the upcoming conference.

It also said, quoting an unnamed Palestinian official, that Syria has received assurances from Russia and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that it will receive a direct invitation to attend the conference.

Although US officials have said the focus of the conference will be the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in recent days that he hoped Syria would take part.

Also following Thursday's meeting, Moussa told reporters after that Arab states would come up with a united stand on the conference at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to be held in Cairo Nov. 22-23.

DID RICE PROMISE SYRIA THAT GOLAN ON ANNAPOLIS AGENDA?

Report: Talks on Golan Heights possible in Annapolis (YNet)
In a message relayed to several Palestinian groups, Syria announced that it was postponing the "National Convention" it had planned as a counter to the upcoming US-brokered peace conference in Annapolis, London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat reported on Sunday.

According to the report, Damascus agreed to delay the event and take part in the peace parley, after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised her Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem that Damascus' demands to raise the issue of the Golan Heights in Annapolis would be met.

It was further reported that Russia had also been pressuring Syrian President Bashar Assad to participate.

Political analysts said they viewed the delay of Syria's conference as an indication of its willingness to attend the conference in Maryland.

Following Syria's announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki invited the Palestinian groups to hold their conference in Tehran.

According to Al-Hayat, Mottaki wrote to the PA groups, "We understand that you are facing difficulties in organizing the conference in Damascus – we hereby declare that Iran is willing to host it." The Iranian FM also stressed the need to "hinder the Annapolis conference".

OLMERT "RESPECTS" ASSAD, SYRIAN POLICY; WILLING TO GIVE UP GOLAN

Olmert is prepared to enter unconditional talks with Syria (JPost)
arly two weeks after reports surrounding an alleged IAF incursion into Syrian skies began circulating, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Monday that Israel was prepared to hold negotiations with the Damascus. The prime minister also addressed the Iranian threat, asserting that Israel "is not afraid."

"We want to make peace with everyone. If the conditions allow for it, we are ready to make peace with Syria without preconditions and without ultimatums. I have a lot of respect for the Syrian leader and for Syrian policy" said Olmert.

DOES SYRIA WANT WAR WITH ISRAEL?

Syrian General Wants War: Head of Syrian Military Intelligence Has Convinced Assad There Is No Chance to Win Golan Heights Through Negotiations - Smadar Peri (Ynet News)

• Arab officials believe Gen. Asef Shawkat, the head of Syrian military intelligence and Assad's brother-in-law, wants to drag Israel into a conflict in Lebanon, and possibly Syria, next month.
• Shawkat told Assad that in a future war with Israel, rocket attacks on Israeli cities would force Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to hold talks on the return of the Golan.
• Shawkat, who has been linked to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, fears that Assad might hand him over to an international tribunal to ease U.S. pressure on his regime.
• The interrogation of Ahmad Marai, the deputy commander of the Fatah al-Islam terrorist group which has been fighting for months against the Lebanese Army in a northern Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp, has also revealed a connection to Shawkat.

  See also Syrian VP: We Don't Want War to Get Golan Back
  Syria is not interested in embarking on a military conflict with Israel in order to win back the Golan Heights, Syrian Vice President Farouk Ashara said Tuesday. (Jerusalem Post)

SYRIA PLANS WAR OF ATTRITION IN GOLAN

Syria Plans War of Attrition in the Golan Heights - Smadar Peri (Ynet News)
Syria has threatened to begin a war of attrition in the Golan Heights if Israel continues to reject Damascus' overtures.

In recent days Israel has received reports of increased Syrian presence on its side of the Golan Heights in preparation for a possible war. During the past year the Syrian government has encouraged settlement in the region, including many army officers who had lost their jobs following Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005. Should a military conflict erupt, these officers are expected to spearhead the acts of attrition against Israel.

Such a confrontation would also divert global attention from the international tribunal investigating Damascus' responsibility for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. On Wednesday Assad said Syria was "determined to retrieve every grain of land in the Golan Heights. We are stronger than we have been in the past."

PRO-SYRIA SUMMER CAMP FOR DRUSE STARTS IN GOLAN

Pro-Syria summer camp starts in Golan (JPost)
A pro-Syria summer camp for Druse children has started on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, it was reported on Thursday. Syrian flags could be seen in the footage, aired by Channel Two, and children were heard proudly singing the Syrian national anthem. The kids were seen split into small groups where they expressed their dedication to what they called their "homeland."

"Syria will remain free," they chanted. The children spoke of how they aspired to return to Syria and visit their families. They said their "souls" were connected to Syria. Head of the Druse community in the Golan, Fazi Abu Jabal, said that that the children considered Syria as their country. "It is close to the children's hearts," he said.

In the camp, each tent is named after a different Syrian village captured by Israel. There were also sections of the summer camp shown draped with Palestinian and Lebanese flags, dedicated to Druse who identified with the two respective causes. "We want to free Arab Palestine," children were heard chanting.

Channel Two reported that the camp's organizers were attempting to raise money to set up similar camps in other Druse areas of the Golan.

SYRIA SCARED OF PEACE

Syria scared of peace (YNET)
Each time Israel shows willingness to cede Golan, Syrians shy away

Basher Assad's peace declarations publicized in the media over and over again this week may be misleading, and indeed they are designed to mislead.

An examination of Assad's speech before his parliament few days ago, and a monitoring of the Syrian arena, regretfully shows the opposite. The Syrian president, who was sworn in for a second term in office this week following a staged referendum, is doing all he can to flee any peace negotiations. Similar to the way his father fled when it became clear to him that the other side - then Ehud Barak and currently Ehud Olmert - may indeed cede the Golan Heights.

After all, the entire regime is premised on the animosity and conflict with Israel. If there is no conflict with Israel there will be no minority Alawite regime ruling Syria either.

The Syrian president took a sharp turn and is now hindering any chance of making progress with Israel. The conditions he is demanding make it impossible. Until his address this week, Syria stressed that contrary to the past it was setting no preconditions for engaging in talks with Israel. The Syrians argued that it was in fact Israel that was making such stipulations.

However, the moment the Syrians realized that Olmert could indeed cede the Golan Heights – or at least profess to do so – they went into a state of shock.

ASSAD: GOLAN RETURN GUARANTEE BEFORE PEACE TALKS

SO WHAT'S LEFT TO "NEGOTIATE" OVER IF ASSAD WANTS EVERYTHING BEFORE HE SITS AT THE TABLE?

Assad: Golan guarantee before talks (JTA)
Bashar Assad conditioned new peace talks with Israel on a guaranteed return of the Golan Heights to Syria.

"There must be guarantees to return the whole land," the Syrian president said Tuesday in a speech to parliament. "We cannot enter negotiations without knowing what they're going to be about. They must present a word of trust or something written."

Since last year's Lebanon war, Israel has expressed interest in restarting peace talks with Syria that stalled in 2000 over the fate of the Golan. But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rejected Syrian preconditions while demanding that Assad show good faith by ending his support for Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist groups.

THE GOLAN IS ISRAELI

The Golan Is Israeli - Nadav Shragai
It is almost politically incorrect, practically heresy, to claim today that the Golan is not Syrian in the least nor a deposit or bargaining chip for negotiations. The Golan is a lot more "Israeli" than "Syrian." It has been Israeli for 40 years, double the time it was in Syria's hands. It has been under Israeli sovereignty for 26 years. It has neither a foreign people nor a demographic problem. The Golan has become a part of Israeli life. It is the most frequently visited part of the country, dotted with dozens of Jewish communities, agricultural fields, industrial areas and tourist resorts, nature reserves and wild landscape.

Whoever talks about "returning" the Golan to Syria is being misleading. The Golan was placed under a French mandate in the colonialist agreement that divided the region; Syria won independence only in 1946. In the brief period it was in the Golan - 0.5 percent of its territory - Syria turned the region into a launching pad for its attempt to conquer and decimate Israel. The Syrian army shelled the Israeli communities along the border, attacked the Lake Kinneret fishermen, tried to divert the course of its waters and made life "down below" a Sderot-style hell. The Golan was conquered in a justified defensive war. We paid for it with blood. The Syrians lost it fair and square.

In previous eras as well, the Golan was not considered a part of Syria, and it is replete with findings of Jewish heroism and sovereignty, starting with the reign of Solomon, through the Second Temple period, the heroic battle of the city of Gamla and the Talmudic period. It was no foreign land that we conquered. The results of the Second Lebanon War greatly increased the Syrian appetite and led it to threaten a war against Israel unless the Golan is handed over. This is exactly the time to tell the Israeli story of the Golan Heights. (Ha'aretz)

OLMERT WILLING TO GIVE GOLAN TO SYRIA?

Right wing blasts PM over Syria report (JPOST)
Right-wingers were seething on Friday afternoon after a report that a recent flurry of secret messages from Israel to Syria signaled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's willingness to give up the Golan Heights in return for a peace agreement.

Effi Eitam (NU-NRP) said: "The Olmert government that failed in Lebanon, is behaving as failed regimes have acted throughout history, and in an attempt to hide his responsibility for the failure he is embarking on a dangerous political adventure."

Eitam's party colleague MK Zevulun Orlev said that Olmert was "ready to sell the Golan for his chair," adding that in his opinion, Olmert was attempting to save his skin by means of a declaration of his willingness to cede the Golan.

Likud faction chairman Gideon Sa'ar called on Israel Beiteinu and Shas to withdraw for the coalition.

"The prime minister has no legitimacy to withdraw for the Golan," Sa'ar went on to say, adding that Olmert's continued leadership endangered Israel's security, Israel Radio reported.

According to the report in Yediot, quoting officials close to Olmert, the prime minister sent messages with German and Turkish diplomats to Syrian President Bashar Assad indicating that Israel was willing to hold direct peace negotiations and give up the Golan.

According to Yediot, Olmert repeatedly said he would be prepared to negotiate with Syria only if Assad's regime cut ties with Iran and Hizbullah and ceased its support for terror.

US President George Bush gave Olmert the green light for negotiations with Syria in an hour-long phone conversation last month, according to the report, and the two leaders will further discuss the possibility of talks during their scheduled meeting at the White House on June 19.

The Prime Minister's Office neither confirmed nor denied the report.

Israel Radio quoted a senior political official as saying that the details of negotiations with the Syrians must not be talked about but that Israel was willing to pay the agreed price for peace.

(UPDATED) SYRIAN MEDIATOR TELLS ISRAEL TERROR ENDS FOR GOLAN

Syrian mediator tells Knesset Syria will renounce terror in return for Golan (YNet)
Syrian-American mediator Ibrahim Suleiman told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Thursday that Damascus was willing to renounce terror and severe ties with Hizbullah in return for the Golan Heights, Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On said. Gal-On said Suleiman outlined to committee members the dividends that Israel could reap by signing a peace accord with Syria. (Amnon Meranda)

DOES THIS GUY SPEAK FOR ASSAD? CAN ISRAEL GIVE UP THE HIGH GROUND OVERLOOKING IT'S BREAD BASKET? SHOULD ISRAEL GIVE UP THE DISPUTED LAND ALONG THE WATER'S (KINNERET'S) EDGE? IS RENOUNCING TERROR ENOUGH? SHOULDN'T THERE BE A FULL PEACE TREATY?

Suleiman: Israel should make 1st move (JPost)
Syrian President Bashar Assad should not make the first move in a peace deal with Israel, Syrian American Abe Suleiman, a US-based Syrian businessman told Channel 2 early Thursday evening.

"Why should Assad make the first gesture to Israel? He is not occupying Israeli land; it is Israel that is occupying Syrian land," said Suleiman.

He also warned against an Israeli offensive, saying that although Syria was not planning to wage war on Israel, the country would defend itself at any cost should Israel decide to attack Syria.

"Syria is not planning to attack Israel… but make no mistake, if Israel attacks Syria, Syria will defend itself.

Suleiman claimed that because the IDF was "humiliated last summer," chances for a campaign against Syria were high, in order to restore the country's military pride.

The Syrian American said that the only "obstacle" preventing the achievement of peace was the "prime minister of Israel" who in his eyes "is too weak."

OLMERT GOVT. READY TO GIVE UP ALL OF GOLAN

Israeli minister: Everyone knows we'll surrender the Golan (JNW)
A minister in the government of Ehud Olmert said openly Thursday Israel would eventually give in to Arab demands and European insistence and surrender the Golan Heights to the Syrians.
"We know that the price will be, in the end, that Israel will come down from the Golan Heights," Immigrant Absorption Minister Ze'ev Boim said.

E.U.'S SOLANA BACKS SYRIA ON GOLAN

Solana backs Syria on Golan (JTA)
A top European Union official voiced support for Syria's efforts to regain the Golan Height from Israel. "We would like to work as much as possible to see your country, Syria, recuperate the territory taken in 1967," E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Wednesday during a visit to Damascus, referring to the Six-Day War. Israel annexed the Golan in the 1980s, but Jerusalem has hinted it could enter negotiations on returning the territory if Syria stops supporting Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists.

SYRIANS CLAIM TO BE HOLDING MISSING IDF SOLDIER

Syrians claim to be holding IDF soldier (JNW)
A largely unknown Syrian terror group released a statement on Tuesday claiming to be holding an IDF soldier who went missing on the Golan Heights ten years ago. The group, which says it is dedicated to "liberating" the Golan Heights, offered to release Guy Hever in exchange for Syrian security prisoners held by Israel.

Defense officials expressed skepticism over the claim, noting that the group apparently operates under the direct patronage of the Syria government, meaning the statement is likely a ruse to generate more international pressure for Israeli-Syrian "peace" talks. They also said that this is not the first group to claim to be holding Hever.

IS OLMERT PREPARING ISRAEL TO SURRENDER GOLAN?

PM: Ceding entire Golan is price of peace with Syria (Haaretz)
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that peace with Syria would mean giving up the Golan Heights, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. "The whole world knows that in any future negotiations, if they are renewed, we will have to give up on the entire Golan Heights," Olmert said during a heated exchange with oppposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud).Netanyahu had reacted angrily to Olmert's assertion that three of his predeccessors, Netanyahu included, had held talks with Syria on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Olmert told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that, according to documents, the prime ministers from 1993 to 2001 (a reference to Yitzhak Rabin, Netanyahu and Ehud Barak) - had all held negotiations with Syria during which it had been clear that any agreement would entail Israel completely ceding the Golan and withdrawing to the 1967 border. But Netanyahu interrupted Olmert's remarks, saying, "You know that's not right." "You know it's true," replied Olmert. "Don't try to hide the truth."

Olmert preparing Israel for Golan surrender? (Zionist.com)
On Monday, Olmert explained in detail to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the only thing that would buy Israel peace with Syria would be ceding the entire Golan. He expounded on the issue despite stating that he remains opposed to renewing talks with Syria at this time.