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Construction in the Golan community Katzrin. (Yaron Kaminski)
Last update - 20:50 24/04/2008
Golan leaders to Turkey: Push Syria talks without sacrificing Golan
By Eli Ashkenazi and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Syria, Bashar Assad 

Golan Heights community leaders on Thursday urged Turkey to continue advancing peace talks between Israel and Syria without conditioning negotiations on an Israeli withdrawal from the contentious region.

In a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Golan leaders asked the advancement of talks be based on the same model used by Turkey and Syria to resolve its dispute over Hatay - a region annexed by Ankara in 1939. That dispute led to years of tensions between the two states until Syria relinquished its demands over the region in 2004.

"Turkey has prove its ability to establish peace with Syria after a difficult dispute of many years," wrote Katzrin local council head Sammy Bar Lev and Golan regional council head Eli Malkha in their letter to Erdogan. "We call on you to use the successful Turkish model of the Hatay region to advance peace between Israel and Syria.
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Golan community leaders announced earlier Thursday that construction and development in the northern territory would continue with the certainty that any attempt to undermine Israel's sovereignty in the Golan would be viewed as a serious security violation and likely end in complete failure.

The announcement came on the heels of reports Thursday morning that Syrian President Bashar Assad confirmed that he received a message signifying that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria.

"The Golan belongs to the people of Israel, who will never be willing to give it up," said one of the participants in the meeting of community heads.

On Wednesday, the head of the Knesset House Committee MK David Tal said he hopes to quickly pass a bill requiring an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan to be dependent on a national referendum.

Tal said an evacuation of the Golan would draw Hezbollah to the region. The chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz, said "Olmert's willingness to come down from the Golan is an expression of unprecedented political and security anarchy." He said Israel could not protect itself and its water sources without the Golan.

Minister Rafi Eitan (Pensioners) made a similar call for a referendum on Wednesday, saying: "Under current conditions, we must not give up our hold on any part of the Golan Heights. The matter must be brought for a referendum."

MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) called on opposition leader and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately announce "that he would not be obligated to any suicidal concession by Olmert."

In contrast, MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) called on Olmert "to take advantage of the opportunity and conduct quick and intensive negotiations with the Syrians." Such talks would "lead to a dramatic change in [Syria's] relationship with extremist elements in the area," Beilin said.

When asked about Wednesday's reports, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said "I have nothing to add beyond what the prime minister said on Friday in his interviews with the Israeli press about his desire for peace with Syria."

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      1.   Golan belongs to the people of Syria. 15:38  |  Sayid- SyrianArab 24/04/08
      2.   stolen w.US welfare weapons 15:39  |  give it back 24/04/08
      3.   The Golan should remain Israeli. 15:55  |  Jean Van Daem 24/04/08
      4.   No one stole anything -stupid.. 16:02  |  lily 24/04/08
      5.   Please try ! 16:03  |  Michael 24/04/08
      6.   Surrender Golan = Surrender Israel 16:14  |  Ray 24/04/08
      7.   I thought Israel was a democracy 16:16  |  Rowan 24/04/08
      8.   GOLAN SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN BACK! 16:18  |  siem 24/04/08
      9.   #3 So, win-win for Israel in your book, hey Jean? 16:22  |  Johnboy 24/04/08
      10.   huh? 16:23  |  Lebanese gal 24/04/08
      11.   Israelis Dont Want Peace 16:42  |  dan 24/04/08
      12.   "Golan community heads" must give way to the greater good 16:42  |  Natallie Durson 24/04/08
      13.   Not according to International Law it doesn`t 16:43  |  Tupac 24/04/08
      14.   4: lily: Isreals survival is to make peace with ALL its neigbors 16:45  |  Tupac 24/04/08
      15.   4: lily: Isreals survival is to make peace with ALL its neigbors 16:46  |  Tupac 24/04/08
      16.   Give away the Golan? Not without a referendum. 16:49  |  Daniel 24/04/08
      17.   Waging war risks life and territory 16:49  |  RightClick 24/04/08
      18.   #5 Michael 16:50  |  Space 24/04/08
      19.   UN Resolution 242 say golan is illegally occupied 17:05  |  UN 24/04/08
      20.   Syria should let Israelis stay in peace deal 17:11  |  dontdestroythegolan 24/04/08
      21.   to Syrian: The whole world belongs to the Jews 17:14  |  Nir 24/04/08
      22.   You just have to love Jewish logic 17:15  |  ragged soul 24/04/08
      23.   JOHNBOY (#8) Ask the Syrians your question? 17:17  |  Gil 24/04/08
      24.   #1 Syrian Arab: WHY did you attack Israel then? 17:21  |  AliciaYasmeen 24/04/08
      25.   Golan was won... 17:27  |  Mystic Spirits 24/04/08
      26.   Tel Aviv belongs to palestinians 17:33  |  Wiseman 24/04/08
      27.   #8 Johnboy, when you play roulette in Las Vegas 17:34  |  AliciaYasmeen 24/04/08
      28.   golan must remain in israel 17:39  |  alan 24/04/08
      29.   Is Peace not security? If not, what was Sadat? 17:40  |  Shelley 24/04/08
      30.   Continue to build Israel. 17:46  |  Vital 24/04/08
      31.   Invaders-settlers don`t constitute "communities" 17:47  |  ManintheMiddle 24/04/08
      32.   The Golan Heights 17:52  |  Allan 24/04/08
      33.   Golan was Jewish before islam existed 17:55  |  Nechama 24/04/08
      34.   #8. Israel did not take the Golan by force... 17:56  |  ManintheMiddle 24/04/08
      35.   Olmert is dangerous for Israel No Confidence Vote is Needed Now 18:06  |  Dish It Out 24/04/08
      36.   the heads of the communities are ignorant and on stolen land 18:07  |  anti-racist 24/04/08
      37.   # 6 ray 18:12  |  Axel 24/04/08
      38.   WE will decide 18:20  |  עם ישראל 24/04/08
      39.   Israel`s MUSLIM Minister: ISRAEL MUST GIVE GOLAN TO SYRIA 18:44  |  Linda Rivera 24/04/08
      40.   what for???? 18:46  |  mohamed ben hallouf 24/04/08
      41.   Golan Heights 18:53  |  E.C. 24/04/08
      42.   The Golan is not enough 19:03  |  Jon 24/04/08
      43.   Olmert, I support you but not this time! 19:03  |  Someone 24/04/08
      44.   double bind 19:19  |  Chaim Moykopf 24/04/08
      45.   #1. Are you saying "real" Semites are always the losers? 19:28  |  ManintheMiddle 24/04/08
      46.   Assad Has Not The Military Strength To Make That Promise 19:31  |  Sarah 24/04/08
      47.   Normalization... 19:35  |  Esther 24/04/08
      48.   Israel believes it owns the entire Holy Land... 19:45  |  Silvienne 24/04/08
      49.   Israel prefers land to peace... 19:46  |  Silvienne 24/04/08
      50.   GOLAN FOR ISRAELIS AND SYRIANS 19:51  |  yasser 24/04/08
      51.   to Johnboy...doesnt know history, sounds stupid 19:52  |  stifffler 24/04/08
      52.   You still have to prove Israel is viable. 19:56  |  American 24/04/08
      53.   Golan leaders don`t want a massacre 20:17  |  B 24/04/08
      54.   None belongs to Israel 20:26  |  James 24/04/08
      55.   Israeli Lies 20:30  |  james 24/04/08
      56.   peace is not a piece of choclate 20:46  |  hassan 24/04/08
      57.   Let them Stay 20:57  |  aaron 24/04/08
      58.   Live in Peace or Die in Wars 21:25  |  ELI 24/04/08
      59.   Olmert is playing Shylock, and doing a good job 21:33  |  Natallie Durson 24/04/08
      60.   Golan in history never have been Syrian territory 21:55  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 24/04/08
      61.   Counteroffer 21:58  |  Gene 24/04/08
      62.   NEVER PEACE! WITHOUT GOLAN! NNNEEEVVVEER!!!! :) 22:06  |  Ghandi 24/04/08
      63.   ManintheMiddle 22:07  |  Euro 24/04/08
      64.   #24 B 22:13  |  ballistic 24/04/08
      65.   #3 Say Jean 22:17  |  ballistic 24/04/08
      66.   #19 it already did silvienne in 1919 22:40  |  victor hardman3 24/04/08
      67.   "Sell the camel without actually delivering it"... 22:47  |  Fortuna Benmayor 24/04/08
      68.   Golan WILL return to motherland SYRIA sooner or later 22:48  |  TripleJump 24/04/08
      69.   Golan in history never have been Syrian territory 22:52  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 24/04/08
      70.   Remember pre 1967..... 22:53  |  Shalom 24/04/08