Editorial / Israel should cede Golan for full peace with Syria

As an English Christian Zionist my hope and prayers are for a worldwide recognition of the right of Israel to live in peace. OK, trust is too much to ask but tolerance and peace is acceptable. Peace with Syria and the return of Golan seems a good idea to me PROVIDING sufficient guarentees are in place and it is backed by international force if if the agreement is broken.

I believe that I found two significant and relevant factual errors just in that brief part of Shlaim's Iron Wall (p. 253, 254) that deals with the cabinet meeting and issue of conveying the offer. Do you have a copy of the book? I don't want to spend time on this if you are not still following here or able to.

I looked up the Guardian piece by Shlaim you cited and to my amazement it was simply a review of Michael Oren's book on the war, which to my surprise Shlaim regards very highly, and not a piece of original research by Shlaim at all, with no supporting documentation for the part you quote from it WHATEVER, completely contrary to the impression you tried to convey. Word of advice: don't rely on a newspaper book review of someone else's work over a copiously documented monograph like Morris's.

Sorry, but I cited a secondary source, Morris, as you did, Shlaim. There is no difference. You have in no way proven an offer was not made, and rebuffed, only that there is a difference of opinion among two secondary sources.

come hither to the new age, howiej where technology gives room to play there's no such thing as high or low days are gone when stones were thrown. the golan would provide NO strategic advantage to syria against israel's military arsenal... but its return WOULD provide the basis for a strategic peace with syria that would include normalized relations, open borders, trade and economic cooperation, and more. both israel, and you, need to step forward out of the past, and join the rest of the world in the present.

"How about syria should cede the golan for peace?" (bo jones) Try to think, just a bit - supposing you have learned how to. Only fools believe that Syria may, one day, make its peace with us and also be the one and only Arab state to have willingly contributed a piece of its sovereign land to the prosperity of the Jewish state. What Anwar Sadat refused to do, no Syrian ruler can accept. His regime would not last long - a unique opportunity for the Ayatullahs and Hezbollah to stir the pot. Just what Israel and the Jordanian king need. "Syria poses both a danger and an opportunity. It could also play a constructive role in the region ... ". Edward Djerejian, former American ambassador to Syria and to Israel, in "The Syrian-American Rift", Akiva Eldar, Haaretz 01/11/2006. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/781527.html#resp

come hither to the new age, howiej where technology gives room to play there's no such thing as high or low days are gone when stones were thrown. the golan would provide NO strategic advantage to syria against israel's military arsenal... but its return WOULD provide the basis for a strategic peace with syria that would include normalized relations, open borders, trade and economic cooperation, and more. both israel, and you, need to step forward out of the past, and join the rest of the world in the present.

Der Zweifler. Benny Morris did not witness the offer being made nor did he witness the offer being received. Does Morris cite any evidence to support his CONTENTION that the offer was made, let alone rejected? I say you have cited NO evidence that any offer was actually made. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'MAKING A CLAIM' UNSUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE (a contention) and making a claim with corroborating evidence? Apparently not. A simple Benny Morris says so, does not suffice. Has he found evidence in the State Dept archives to support his claim? The decision of that day (19TH June 67) was taken in the deepest secrecy . Even Rabin, (though not a member of cabinet at the time) did not know about it. It is clear that the Americans were not asked to convey what were merely 'preliminary thoughts' to Syria and Egypt. If they had been asked and had they conveyed such an offer, there would have been a memorandum of some sort about it, plus information on the reaction of these two Arab countries. There is nothing at all in the US archives, at least nothing that has ever been found. This is supported by the following statement by the then US Sec of State Dean Rusk in his memoirs entitled 'As I Saw It'. "For twenty years, since the creation of Israel, the United States had tried to persuade the Arabs that they needn't fear Israeli territorial expansion. Throughout the sixties the Arabs talked continuously about their fear of Israeli expansion. With the full knowledge of successive governments in Israel, we did our utmost to persuade the Arabs that their anxieties were illusory. " "Then following the Six Day War, Israel decided to keep the Golan heights, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai, despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol on the first day of the war went on Israeli radio and said that Israel had no territorial ambitions. Later in the summer I reminded Abba Eban of this, and he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "We've changed our minds". With that remark, a contentious and even bitter point with the Americans, he turned the United States into a twenty-year liar." All that, before Khartoum. What now Mr pompous? Avi Shlaim went through the US State Dept documentary archives(plus other archives of course, specifically the Israeli archives) and found NO record of any such offer ever being made. He states the following in a Guardian article and makes the same point in his book, 'Iron Wall'. "On 19 June 1967, the cabinet secretly decided to withdraw to the international border with Egypt and Syria in exchange for peace and the demilitarisation of Sinai and the Golan Heights. No decision could be reached, however, regarding the future of the West Bank. Four months later, following the Arab summit at Khartoum, the cabinet went back on the offer which was NEVER IN FACT COMMUNICATED TO THE EGYPTIAN OR SYRIAN GOVERNMENTS. " Avi Shlaim The Guardian, 8 June 2002. http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ssfc0005/The%20Albatross%20of%20Victory.html A little tip. Less rudeness and more humility. You are not nearly as smart as you seem to think.

I wonder can may Syria shed the role model it has of terrorist helper even today many people believe Osama Ben Layden is hiding in terrorist friendly Syria alas after 9 11 Syria hopes to be a Dove like Egypt Jordan but if Lebanon suffers from not being accepted as Doves along with Iraq Afghanistan how may Syria hope to lose the T H role model RIGHT alas Assad is fighting a battle he can not may not win as Moses must be Moses Assad must be Assad there is no other way manner Clinton is only being un fair offering to Syria what Clinton may not offer Syria accept the T H role model Syria learn to live with it may be you may find a diplomatic way to return the Golen Heights but I myself doubt it RIGHT ??? Thank You... M. S.

come hither to the new age, howiej where technology gives room to play there's no such thing as high or low days are gone when stones were thrown. the golan would provide NO strategic advantage to syria against israel's military arsenal... but its return WOULD provide the basis for a strategic peace with syria that would include normalized relations, open borders, trade and economic cooperation, and more. both israel, and you, need to step forward out of the past, and join the rest of the world in the present.

The international community still regards the Golan heights as occupied syrian territory. This has and will always be the position of the overwhelming majority of world civil society. To suggest that the Golan heights belongs to Israel is ludicrous and will never be acceptable to world opinion. This is merely a stance based on greed and expansionism .Wake up . You are not living in a cacoon . There are reasonable people in the world who are watching !!

He does what Sadat did, he takes his case to the people of Israel. He recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, disarms hezbollah and severs ties with Iran until they stop supporting terrorism and going nuke. Otherwise keeping the Golan has kept the peace.

The author of this should reread the Security Council Resolutions passed in '67, slowly. They DO NOT call for a return to the lines in place before the '67 war. The lines are to be establish through negotiations by the parties. No preconditions mean just that, a clean slate. For Israel to give back the Golan would be suicidal.

For a seemingly intelligent person,you are very naive... Appeasement never works,especially with arabs. Returning the Golan would be not only stupid,but possibly suicidal.

1) No Syrian military presence in the Golan, the region should have American/NATO peacekeepers instead. 2) Some sort of water deal, considering the Kinneret and Syria's problems with water. Obvously with mechanisms to see that everyone is honoring the agreement. 3) Some off-the table agreements on Hamas and Hezbollah (ie, Syria should stop aiding them).

Roo-the demilitarized zone was demilitarized, but still Israeli territory. Israel sent tractors into the demilitarized zone to assert its sovereignty. These were armored tractors, but not tanks, armored because of Syrian fire. Syria may have considered Israel asserting its sovereignty over the demilitarized zone a provocation, but for Israel it was simply an assertion of sovereignty. War by other means.

ass u me.......a piece of northern Israel.....that is the only piece that the enemy wants.....do I need to spell it, ENEMY?

Roo-the demilitarized zone was demilitarized, but still Israeli territory. Israel sent tractors into the demilitarized zone to assert its sovereignty. These were armored tractors, but not tanks, armored because of Syrian fire. Syria may have considered Israel asserting its sovereignty over the demilitarized zone a provocation, but for Israel it was simply an assertion of sovereignty. War by other means.

The number of Israelis that support this stupid idea continues to decline. If the leftists had their way the only land we would have left is the name of this rag.

"Haaretz is Nuts!!! " (Edward) Nuts is he who believes that Syria can make its peace with Israel and be the first and only Arab state to have willingly contributed a piece of its sovereign land to the prosperity of the Jewish state, Think - supposing you know how to. What Anwar Sadat refused to do, no Syrian ruler can accept. His regime would not last long - a unique opportunity for the Ayatullahs and Hezbollah to stir the pot. Just what Israel and Jordan need. "Syria poses both a danger and an opportunity. It could also play a constructive role in the region ... ". Edward Djerejian, former American ambassador to Syria and to Israel, in "The Syrian-American Rift", Akiva Eldar, Haaretz 01/11/2006. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/781527.html#resp

What part of my previous post did you not understand? The Israeli cabinet on 19 June offered "to give up Sinai and the Golan in exchange for peace" (Benny Morris, Righteous Victims, Vintage, 2001, p. 330). This offer WAS in fact made and transmitted to both the Syrians and the Egyptians (ibid). "Within days both countries had rejected the overture" (ibid). Now, what part of my current post is it that you do not understand? I don't plan to keep going over this with someone who does not understand the concept of citing sources to support propositions rather than simply make it up as you have. If you wish to check the sources I have cited, please do so, but, again, I am not going to spend repeated posts going over the same ground with someone who has not in any rational way refuted what I have said.

Think - At least for this once. It doesn't hurt, I promise. And tell me were would Israel be, today, if, having refused 30 years ago to return the Sinai back, the IDF was still standing guard on the shores of the Suez Canal, always prepared to face one more attack by the Egyptian army? Not to mention the Jordanian border. I have met many of your kind. They have brains, but do not use them. Does the Torah says that too? I am not sure, but it is true.

we keep the Golan that costed us so many lives. the danger of a muslim country is that it can be a few years democratic and then suddenly can became like Iran! Peace with Siria ? no thanks, let's keep the status quo.

There is a large Jewish territory in Cochin in India and Jewish population in Mumbai. Whne will Israel invade India?

The USA has agreed to cede Charlotte back to the native Americans from whom it was illegally occupied. BBSNews and his family and several million other North Carolina settlers will be returned to Europe, Asia, South America and Australia where they came from. This is obviously the only just scenario, and paves the way for the end to the occupation of dozens of native lands in North America. It is estimated that the 330 million illegal settlers will have to leave their illegal settlements by the end of 2010, and the UN building and Manhattan will revert to the original owners, the Lenape Indians. BBSNews... where will you be moving to?

Israel has the Golan & peace with Syria, legally we are at war but nobody has fired any shots over the Golan since 1973 & Syria is no military threat to Israel so if you have seccurity why risk it for the sake of Assads signature on a piece of paper? Assad plans to move 1 million arab to the Golan after he creates 30,000 jewish refugees and probably a similar number of druze who do not want to find themselves living under Assads rule. That creates a potential Gaza in the north which is not a risk worth taking. It would allow Syria access to the Kineret which is unacceptable. Israel financially can't afford to give up the Golan. It earns millions each year from produce grown there Expel 30,000 jews and you have to find them new homes and jobs for them all. It cost alot of money to build new homes & you can't pull 30,000 jobs out of thin air it would cost billions. Military bases & early warning stations would either have to go or be relocated which would cost many more billions.

It's the law; and eventually it will return to Syria. The issue is water and not Military high Ground. Comprehensive peace is nescessary.

"Both countries bizarrely refused to consider the offer" How significant was the offer if it was never made TO the Syrians or Egyptians? There are no records of Israel telling any Arab states in 1967, directly or indirectly, that it would make a conditional withdrawal. None whatsoever. We also know that the Israeli cabinet changed its mind several times and had made its own decision undone well before Khartoum of the 3 'noes'.

Open your eyes man. Do you call what we have with Egypt peace! What a joke! It is probably you that get the news through comic books. Where have you been for last years or so? At best there is as cease-fire with Egypt. But look how they act now, anti-Israeli education, propaganda and boycott of our democratically elected ministers. As the Torah wisely says: "They have eyes but don't see, they have ears but don't hear..."

Why are there endless, leftist-driven expectations/demands of israel - but never any dealing with the intransigence and racism of the arabs?

POLICY ISN'T MADE FROM US FOLKS, ISRAEL WONT GIVE BEANS BACK IF HER SECURITY IS THREATENED AND IT IS, ALWAYS BY MUSLIM EXTREMISTS AND JOHNNY JIHADS.

SYRIA ONLY WANTS TO TALK TO HAVE THE GOLAN RETURNED. NO WAY. SHOULD BE, MORE LAND WILL BE WON 7 TAKEN IF ANOTHER WAR IS STARTD BY ANY MUSLIM NATION AGAINST ISRAEL.

#24 is true!! Never cede Golan!! Israel must prtect yourself!!

4th attempt to get past Haaretz selective promotion of the exchange of ideas. Syria as repeatedly raised the demand that Israel include the territory between the international border and the Kinneret which it seized after 1948. It would seem that Syria's aspirations for water rights are a deliberate attempt to raise the price of any agreement beyond the possibility of execution. In other words, Syria talks peace to appease the West, but it's interests are not in that direction.

... had the Golan settlers opted for the Galilee instead... ... the West Bank settlers on Pal territory, are making the same mistake...

Re the Golan. It was an Israeli land grab pure and simple. Israeli kibbutzim wanted the prime agricultural land of the Golan and Israel needed a pretext. Who says so. Not Assad, but General Dayan. General Dayan told Mr. Tal in 1976. "You don't strike at the enemy because he is a bastard, but because he threatens you. And the Syrians, on the fourth day of the war, were not a threat to us." According to the published notes, Mr. Tal began to remonstrate, "But they were sitting on the Golan Heights, and..." General Dayan interrupted: "Never mind that. After all, I know how at least 80 percent of the clashes there started. In my opinion, more than 80 percent, but let's talk about 80 percent. It went this way: We would send a tractor to plow some area where it wasn't possible to do anything, in the demilitarized area, and knew in advance that the Syrians would start to shoot. If they didn't shoot, we would tell the tractor to advance farther, until in the end the Syrians would get annoyed and shoot. And then we would use artillery and later the air force also, and that's how it was." "But I can tell you with absolute confidence, the delegation that came to persuade Eshkol to take the heights was not thinking of these things. They were thinking about the heights' land. Listen, I'm a farmer, too. After all, I'm from Nahalal, not from Tel Aviv, and I know about it. I saw them, and I spoke to them. They didnt even try to hide their greed for that land" Like so much of what you write Morris; it comes straight out of the Israeli hasbara textbook for boys in short trousers. No wonder Mrs Regev was so quick to congratulate you. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/11/world/general-s-words-shed-a-new-light-on-the-golan.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

Isreal has about 25-30 years in which to secure a lasting peace with its neighbours. After that China is likely to be the world's most powerful country with the world's best weapons, which it will happily sell to Isreal's enemies. The USA, Isreal's current protector, will no longer be in a position to do anything about it. If Isreal is to survive in the long term, its leaders need to get serious about peace now.

never cease to amaze me. their's is a realm of fantasy, in which they believe israel to be invincible. israel was embarrassed by hezbollah in lebanon; so what's going to happen if another unified arab offensive is repeated today? will israel use it's nukes, children? or is it that you believe the united states and the west would quickly jump in to protect israel? but what if the u.s. is tied up elsewhere with problems of its own...like it is now? what if aipac loses its ability to sway? or what IF...the united states simply wasn't inclined? the recent overtures of peace from arab nations, that are conditioned on its compliance u.n. resolutions for which it is already held accountable, that israel has been snubbing and sidestepping, are the most viable solutions, not only to a stable and long term security for israel and its neighbors, but it would also open the doors for economic cooperation and regional prosperity...from which israel would be the biggest beneficiary. ahhhh, but no. not for those who dream dreams of fantasy and a whimsical belief that it can maintain the status quo.

Your diligence in looking up a Fox News story is certainly impressive, but I suggest you do some historical research beyond even Fox, and you will find that on 19 June 1967, the Israeli cabinet offered to return Sinai to Egypt and the Golan Heights to Syria (Shindler, A History of Modern Israel, Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 137). Both countries bizarrely refused to consider the offer. Dayan did oppose this cabinet initiative, but that does not change its historical significance.

Only a fool would consider surrendering vitally strategic territory for a piece of paper that Syria would feel free to tear up the moment it suited its convenience. There has been effective peace on the Syrian border for many years, not because of a peace agreement, but because of Syria's certainly that attacking Israel would cost it more than it was willing to pay. Fear of Israeli power is a much greater deterrent to our enemies than any piece of paper.

as opposed to a worthless piece of paper; ie, the precarious agreement between egypt and israel.

"Ceding territories to the Arabs never brings peace. Learn from the past, learn from history!" (Meir M) Get your hands on some good History of the ME conflict, and leave aside your comic books for a couple of days. Or, if that is asking too much of you, see at least, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords Here is what you may learn: In March 1979, Israel handed back the whole of Sinai to Egypt, and got peace. Only fools believe that Syria may, one beautiful day, make its peace with Israel, and also agree to be the one and only Arab state to have willingly contributed a piece of its sovereign land to the prosperity of the Jewish state, What Anwar Sadat refused to do, how can any Syrian ruler accept to do? The days of his regime would be counted. "Syria poses both a danger and an opportunity. It could also play a constructive role in the region ... ". Edward Djerejian, former American ambassador to Syria and to Israel, in "The Syrian-American Rift", Akiva Eldar, Haaretz 01/11/2006. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/781527.html#resp

i could not have said it better. shabbat shalom, cipora

This is a no brainer. The IDF knows the Galilee is basically indefensible without the Golan. Do you want Katyushas and other rockets falling on Tiberias when its crowded with tourists and Israeli vacationers? Assad can't take it by force anyway. Israel pulled out of South Lebanon, and looked what happened there; and by the way still might happen again.

Stand on Mitzpe LeShalom and look down beyond your sandals and you will see the Kibbutz En Gev that was under constant barrage by Syrian gunners before Israel captured the Golan Heights. My own relative, a founding member of Kibbutz Shamir, would jump off his tractor and hide behind the wheel when the bullets got close. On a recent visit, my cousin described how she crawled to the bomb shelter after a Syrian shell destroyed the two attached homes to her parents? house. Israelis have not forgotten that an entire generation of Israeli children born in the North between 1948 and 1967 were called "Bomb shelter children". Israelis by an overwhelming majority will never agree to give up the Golan for any promises of "peace".

neighbour of Israel's once an agreement is reached in returning the Golan territory which was captured in 1967 war. It made the offer with the Arab League Summit in Beirut in 2002 to establish recognition of Israel, the Jewish State, in return for the captured land as well as resolving the other outstanding issues concerning the Palestinians. It seems authentic and we'll never no until we start negotiations. It shouldn't be so complicated and Israel must have a guaranteed security coordination for its northern border. Syria recognizes that by now.

UNSC does not talk about full withdrawal from 1967 lines for peace. It talsk of secure borders and it is clear that Golan was never a secure border with a Syrian history of raining fire down on Israeli farmers and kibbutzim.There was talk of full withdarawl after the 6 day war -an ofer by Isreal- but this was rejected by the Arab countries in the Khartoum Conference.No recognition, No peace, No negotiations with Israel-Ron Granted, the Khartoum Conference was disastrous mistake by the Arabs. However, times change and the political situations and attitudes change also. The Arab states know that Israel is here to stay, and they are also able you understand doing the same thing leads to the same results. Your post indicates that you are living in the past. You have not been able to see the changes taking place around you. One of these was the Arab League Beirut Declaration of 28 March 2002. That nullified the three no?s of Khartoum. It went even further and than what Israel was seeking in 1967. It encompassed other Arab states that were not belligerents. It also offered regional security guarantees for Israel. Secure borders are not defined as extended borders. Secure borders can be accomplished in more than one way. Your reference to the Syrian history of fire raining down is another relic of the past. Not to mention Dayan?s admission of provoking the Syrians. There is plenty of historical blame here. But, if you really do not want peace you can always find some historical event, decades or centuries ago to justify your intransigence. But there is a new leader in Syria. Syria has much to offer Israel, and Syria has much to gain as well. Anything less than something that is mutually beneficial has no chance of permanence. Rejection of the Saudi Initiative is analogous to the Arab rejection of the Israeli offer at Khartoum

He said Israel stole it for kibbutzniks. Now this was reported back in 1997 by the New York Times, JPost carries an online copy as well, but get this! As is my wont, I always check facts and sources before I make a claim such as the above. Usually I would quote from the other two sources I mentioned and that would be that. But lo and behold! I go to look as I always do and just today, Fox News reported this very thing about Dayan and the tapes that prove him saying so. Wow! Now that Change I can Believe In! see: http://www.foxnews.com/story /0,2933,570574,00.html

'Our forces are now entirely ready not only to repulse the aggression, but to initiate the act of liberation itself, and to explode the Zionist presence in the Arab homeland. The Syrian Army, with its finger on the trigger, is united... I, as a military man, believe that the time has come to enter into a battle of annihilation.' - Hafez Assad, May 1967 Things didn't go terribly well the following month for Syria - its shelling of Emek Huleh and its alliance with Egypt resulted in the loss of the Golan. A bloody surprise attack to reclaim it in 1973 failed, too. Tough luck for the Assad clan and for Syria. It's Israeli territory now, and it's up to the Israelis if they want to cede it to Syria. My advice: tell Assad to bother the Turks instead, about a place called Alexandretta. See if their fellow Muslims are any more accomodating.

--area and its impact. Based on what many of the writers have said, there is little chance that Israel will have any truck with sharing or giving up the Golon Heights. Things have changed. However so have Israel's enemies. To view one or two nations as a major threat is foolhardy. Israel must draft a plan which all of her neighbors can sign. So far, the prior and present Israeli PMs have exhibited extreme tunnel vision and overlooked those potential advesaries who have the capability to deliver major destruction now, even though they may have been very careful to conceal any such motives publicly. There is not much time left.

Just what Israel needs.

For those of you that continually say that Israel should cede the golan to Syria, to you i ask- " do you know what the Golan area is about ?" The Golan Heights is an elevated parcel of land from which the Syrian forces continuously fired into Israel. The land itself was ceded to Syria after WW11. It did not beong to Syria. Basically it was a throw away gift to Syria by the British. There might not be a peace agreement between Israel and Syria but there has been peace and quiet since Israel controls Golan. Sometimes peace and quiet is as important as peace.

And what's with the Canadians today? Someone tell Anshel that those are different topics. I always love the "domino" theory.

Though Syria no longer needs the Golan to bombard Israel, thus the original reason for holding the Golan no longer exists, that does not mean that is the only consideration. Greater Israel, and the folks who dream of it, demands the Golan be held. The editors of Haaretz are rational in their argument and sensible in their goals. The rabid right will never allow it. The smoke signals are clear, a tiny wisp from the Haaretz Peace Pipe and a huge belch from the Beast of War.

In light of 2,000 years of Moslem and Christian treachery against Jews in the world, what would prompt someone to assume that Jews can offer anything to these savages to obtain any semblance of peace. These genius thinkers are so dangerous there should be a law against spreading this nonsense.

On the other and,we have no need for fancy reception and hand shakings on the white house lawns. I will mention thet Turkey and Syria enjoy normal relation whereas Turkey still occupies the region of Iskandarun (Alexandrette)peopled by native arabs,birthplace of the Assad clan !.

In order to neutralize, Syria's influence on Hizbala,Hamas, we must come to some agreement with them.... An agreement should lower Iran's influence in the area. The Israeli government must decide on it's priorities,& work accordingly..But deciding on doing nothing, is also a decision,which of course has been the policy of the gov't all these year... reacting instead of acting

Go to a car dealerhip. Tell the salesperson you want to buy a specific car. Tell him that the deal is done, you will not be leaving his store without the car. Tell him that your decision has been taken. Tell him you have loved the car, that your wife will leave you, taking away the children with her, if you don't come back home with the car. Now, start a discussion about the price. How much of a discount do you think will you get? Now change "buying the car" for "returnig the Golan" and "discount" for "Syrian concessions and seriouness". This editorial is as ridicoulous as the car buyer's behaviour.

Wishful thinking won't make it true.

Remember: even Rabin was human, and entitled to making mistakes. This was one of them.

Being that our greater Israel empire is blessed with an overabundance of real estate, we should just throw land at our assorted problems and I'm sure the problems will go away.

From 48 til the now, Syria has presented a continual hostile agressive and intolerant policy to Israel. Israel, in the flush of victory in 67 and 73, has let it's pride and posessiveness take over. Both parties need to climb down from the limbs they have climbed out on, but that requires reducing their own egos and demands, and preparing their people to change. Not easy when 60 years of propaganda has taken root into both national minds. Syria would do well to forget stubborn pride and meet in person. Israel should stop glorifying and developing the Golan which it may ultimately have to surrender.

You thesis that giving away the land weakens Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran is ludicrous - the giving away of land would even by negotitation would be ocnsidered a military victory and then Hezbollah Syria and Iran will move onto the Galilee

UNSC does not talk about full withdrawal from 1967 lines for peace. It talsk of secure borders and it is clear that Golan was never a secure border with a Syrian history of raining fire down on Israeli farmers and kibbutzim.There was talk of full withdarawl after the 6 day war -an ofer by Isreal- but this was rejected by the Arab countries in the Khartoum Conference.No recognition, No peace, No negotiations with Israel. Haaretz should engage in honest journalsim.

How naive a notion? Syria is just talking, no interest in peace, Do we really want Iran on the Golan? No thanks.

With regard to your editorial position to return the Golan for peace with Syria please consider the following: 1. There are any number of obvious and sound reason for Israel to keep the Golan. 2. Syria does not need the Golan. 3. Assad does not deserve the Golan 4. Syria lost Alexandretta with a large Syrian population to Turkey and accepted the loss. They'll get used to the loss of the Golan as well. 5. Whoever expects Assad to turn into a Yeled Tov Yerushlayim after getting back the Golan is NAIVE. 6. The UN idea that there be no loss of territory by the loser in a war is ridiculous. Look at what happened after World War II. Aggression need not remain unpunished.

You guys never learn. Ceding territories to the Arabs never brings peace. Assad doesn't want peace his wants the Golan Heights back for free and then he will join the rest of Israel's enemies to attain its destruction. Learn from the past, learn from history! History does indeed repeat itselfQ

How you like to scramble for knife! Those that seek Israel destruction are known and the scripture are clear. Is it possible to deprive a leopard of its skin? Don't be gullible!

Isn't this the same editorial you published when you encouraged the public to support the evacuation of Gaza

Will these writers ever come up with any true jounalism? Will it always be these recycled "death wish" articles? Come on, if any of you guys lived in these areas you talk about giving away you would defecd your own home like everyone else. Why not try living in Ramallah with the arabs and see how you and your wife and kids would like it?

just remember when rabin stood on the golan and said that the land of the golan will always be israels

Those who live of arabic money always say what arabs want to hear.

Syria has been at war with Israel since 1947, is a client state of Iran, arms and shelters Hamas and Hezbollah. Incites against Israel and Jews constantly Can't Haaretz even imagine that in order for Israel to even consider so-called "peace" that conciliatory efforts should come forth first from Syria??? Why would any Israeli government want to proceed without a significant reduction in tensions? Syria just wants to get back the Golan, and the heights at a military staging ground. There is no peace on the table. If there was Assad would be flying to Jerusalem to address the Knesset. He is not Sadat!!!!

This article is dumb...it has no cause and effect relevance and simply rehashes the same old rumor and political ballons that have been floating around for years. I though this was a NEWSpaper. Furthermore, 'returning' the Golan would only embolden arab refuseniks to keep on fighting for an end to the 'occupation'...code word for the destruction of Israel. Can you say hizbullahastan? Israel needs peace with syria like another hole in the head...and if it gives up the Golan that is exactly what it will get.

and what else? Jerusalem? Jaffo? Haifa? Neville Chamberlain born again?

...as one portion of a framework for peace which of course should also have in parallel the same adherence to 242 (and 338, 194 etc) on the Palestinian track. And has Israel ever finally separated itself yet from north Ghajjar? And of course Shebaa Farms needs to be returned to Lebanon for it is Lebanese and this is now beyond question. Bibi will have to turn the Likud platform on its head to be of any real use for Israel's future, and that is highly unlikely. But it's a nice dream from the Haaretz editors, and it is certainly the right thing to do, but like a dream it is little more than fantasy. Israel simply has no strong leader capable of pulling off peace.

Why only the Golan?Why not the entire Country?And everybody that would survive,move to Gana... Even so,the rats and the antisemites would not be sactisfied...The Golan was never syrian territory.They encroached on the Golan while the Ishuv could not fight them back..They never planted a leaf of grass there...They only used it to embase artillery to harass the fishermen in the Lake of Galilee...They lost it fair and square in 1967,when they and nasser tried to destroy Israel...they lost even more in 1973,when they attacked...GIVE THEM THE GOLAN AND A WEEK LATER THE iranian national guard CUTS ISRAEL IN TWO PARTS...THE GOLAN IS PART AND PARCEL OF ISRAEL...ISRAEL NEEDS THE LAND...

borders? The '67 borders. After borders there will be a lot less problems. Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Jews. Oh, and the refugees get to come home. The Jerusalem issue will come last. Salaam/Shalom

Editorial / Israel should cede Golan for full peace with Syria By Haaretz Editorial what r u scared of big H... U r saying; screw the news is about survival of the spinner paprrrrrr....., isnt i] fu big H and shame of ure stance.....

Surely, such a sacrifice for peace will bring about great respect for our nation in the international community. If I didn't know the editors of Haaretz better, I would think this was just an Israeli ploy to give the Syrians a false sense of hope that one day they will be handed territory lost in a war they initiated by a delusional Israeli government on a silver platter.

except on Thanksgiving. LOL!

And when in the future, there is a coup in Syria and the new regime says it does not recognise Israel, and starts shooting from the Heights, then what? Ceding Golan is too a high a price for peace - perhaps part of the Golan, but not the whole area. History is replete with examples of ceding territory for peace, only to be fighting for that same land years later.

The Golan Heights is sovereign Syrian soil, and has been since Syria became an independent state in 1946. And as such *NO* *OTHER* *STATE* is entitled to unilaterally annex it, precisely because it is a bedrock of international law that the military conquest of territory is no longer legal. The Golan Heights is Syrian - even now - and the Syrians have shown not the slightest interest in ceding their sovereignty over it to *anyone* *else*, let alone to Israel. If you want "peace" then part of the deal WILL involve you returning the Golan to its rightful owner. To Assad. And if you don't want to do that then you CAN'T have peace.

Israel cannot cede the Golan back to Syria because a treaty with a dictatorship will not stand if and when the Syrian people overthow their government. The treaties with Egypt and Jordan are also only guarenteed by their strongarm governments and do not represent the will of the Egyptian and Jordanian people. That being said, the Golan is not only a military vantage point but also borders the Kinneret which is Israels largest (natural) water supply.

Iran holds a much more lucrative hand, at this point, for Syria then Israel with the Golan. Iran with energy deals and a share of hegemony over Lebanon for Syria. You cannot look at detente between Syria and Israel without looking at the bigger picture. Netanyahu with his no conditions seems better than Syria's preconditions position.

Wishful thinking is stupid and dangerous.

It is unbelievable that people still exist who think that Israel should shrink its already small territory for a piece of paper. NO PEACE will result from territorial concessions as much as I would love it to be the case. Why not suggest that Syria cede a part of its territory for Israel to be happy? The Golan is NOT Syrian land. It was only part of Syria for a very short period of time. It has been developed by Israel since its recapture. Any government that even discusses the "return" of this vitally important territory is signing the country's own suicide plan.

What guarantees that Syria will not continue supporting terror against israel after golan is ceded. It is always about Israel ceding, what do the arabs ever do towards any peace agreement? If there is no real peace coming soon Israel should annex those areas it claims.

The Golan is a former Jewish state during ancient times and was never a part of Syria other than as a vassal state for a brief time.

rabin's legacy is dead, just wake up already