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Syria arrogantly refuses to compromise on any of Israel’s demands

Syria’s insistence on determining the outcome on borders a-priori, while it refuses to meet Israel’s conditions for starting those negotiations (terminating Syria’s relations with Iran and support for terror organizations).

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Syrian counter-arguments to above objection

1.	It is understandable that some Israelis feel confused by Syria’s close relations with Iran, which do not seem to be consistent with Syria’s frequently-expressed wish to reach a peaceful settlement with Israel. On the other hand, Syrians also wonder how can they trust Israel’s intentions after Israel surprised the both the Syrian and Turkish peace negotiating teams in 2008 by attacking Gaza and killing over 1300 Palestinians. That unnecessary, bloody action put an end to peace talks between Syria and Israel that were on the verge of success. Yet Syria is not letting that tragic war stop her from engaging Israel again in peace negotiations. Syria understands that former enemies behave differently after peace is achieved, and Syria hopes that Israeli leaders and Israeli people also show the same understanding. A long-lasting, warm and stable state of peaceful coexistence can only be reached if both countries are ready to respect international law and respect each other. If Israel is not ready to make peace with Syria based on mutual respect, there can be no meaningful peace. To set the peace process on the right track, Syria has the right to expect an Israeli statement demonstrating Israel’s willingness to recognize Syria’s rights that are guaranteed through international law (resolution 242, 338, and 497). Israel has the right to expect from Syria in return a recognition of all relevant UN resolutions including the ones that recognize the state of Israel within pre-1967 borders, in addition to UN resolution 1701. Both recognitions would obviously be contingent on the successful completion of negotiations.
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2.	Syria's insistence on determining the outcome on border pre-negotiation stems from the fact that most of the recent Israeli prime ministers have recognized that Israel will need to withdraw from the Golan Heights to the June 4th 1967 line as retired Major General Uri Saguy confirmed to Maariv. Syria has been negotiating one Israeli prime minister after another since 1991, always reaching "near final agreement" before something happens on Israel's side that prevents that final agreement. After twenty years of repetitive and inconclusive negotiations, there is nothing arrogant about Syria's lack of patience with yet more negotiations with more Israeli prime ministers who, for some reason, always want to go back to negotiating from square one again despite the advanced progress that Syria and Israel achieved during previous negotiations. Syria is interested in a successful conclusion to the peace process. Unfortunately, we've learned time and again that Israeli leaders change - or change their minds - so often that it is almost inevitable that any fresh-start negotiations will never be concluded before the political dynamic in Israel changes.
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One Response to “Syria arrogantly refuses to compromise on any of Israel’s demands”

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   Brad Allen, Researcher, History of the Mid-East wrote:

   May 29, 2010 at 12:59 pm

   After years of ongoing conflict, the Syrians recoginze that they have only one choice for a secure and prosperous future, peace and the end of the state of confrontation with Israel.

   Syria’s economy is struggling and its relations with most western nations, although recently improving are still strained by the constant state of war with Israel. The US with their relentless and misguided one sided policy in the middle east, continues to apply economic and political pressure by censoring Syria to force it to accept the status quo and sign a peace treaty with Israel.

   The Syrians have been isolated and weakened since Egypt, Jordan and other pro western arab states abandoned their confrontational stance against Israel and turned their focus towards improving their economies. The Syrian leadership is anxious to move their country to follow the same path and to improving their economy by halting the constant drain on their resources by their miltiary and defense spendings. The Syrians are well aware they can nenver match Israel’s readiness helped by the unyielding financial and military support by the US. However, Syria’s leadership is also well aware it would never survive and could never maintain a peace treaty with Israel without the return of the Golan. To this end, Syria’s leaders must insist on making the return of the Golan as a pre condition for pursuing a peace deal with Israel.

   Israel has on many occasions called the Syrians weak and boasted about their inability to respond to attacks inside their country. Today’s Israeli leadership blatently demonstrates their dissmissal of the Syrians by funding economic and torurist projects inside the Golan. Israel’s leadership continuously demsonstrates that it has no intentions to discuss the return of the Golan as part of any deal.

   To pursue a lasting peace with Israel, the Syrian leadership must openly demonstrate to their people that they recognize and stand by their responsibility to recover the Golan. At the same time, the Syrian leadership must demonstrate to the Israelis that they are strong enough to be respected and taken serioulsy. Abandoned by its Arab allies, Syria is forced to boost its strength by seeking alliances with any group confronting Israel in the region. Asking Syria to abandon these alliances without first securing a peace deal with Israel is impossible and would encourage Israel to continue to ignore the need to make peace with a weak nation.

   Egypt and Jordan have long since signed a peace treaty with Israel but the people of Egypt and Jordan still consider the Israelis as their enemies. The constant state of war with Syria, the attacks on Lebanon and the poor treatment of the Palestinians will remain the biggest obstacle Israel faces to achieving real peace and acceptance in the region.

   Israel has a great opportunity to achieving an everlasting peace in the region. Its own military and intelligence experts have long recommended moving towards a peace deal with Syria. Moshe Dayan recommended not keeping the Golan to avoid future wars, Ashkenazi tried to convince his leadership to negotiate returning the Goaln as part of the withdrawl from Lebanon, Ehud Barak has on many occassion pushed for peace with Syria. It is no secret nor does it need experts to realize that peace with Syria would go a long way towards stability in the region.

   By not pursuing peace with Syria for the sake of holding on to the Golan, Israel is proving to the region and the world that it is an expantionist country and that it bases its survival is continued military confrontation.