Netanyahu: Israel Open To Peace Talks With Syria

JERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister attempted to end a war of words with Syria on Sunday, saying his country is open to peace talks with its longtime enemy.

Israeli and Syrian officials have traded threats over the past week, raising concerns of an escalation between two countries that have officially been at war for more than 60 years.

Israel desires peace agreements with "all of its neighbors," Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting.

"We did it with Egypt and Jordan, and we want to achieve similar agreements with the Palestinians and the Syrians," he said. "I hope that we are on the brink of renewing negotiations with the Palestinians, and we are open to renewing the process with the Syrians as well."

Netanyahu's comments came after an ominous exchange between officials in the two countries.

Syrian President Bashar Assad accused Israel of avoiding peace and his foreign minister threatened that Israeli cities would come under attack in a future war. Israel's foreign minister responded that Syria would be defeated and Assad and his family would lose power in any future conflict.

It has been a quarter-century since Israel and Syria fought directly, but Syria backs anti-Israel forces like the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas. Israel's sworn enemy Iran backs Hamas and Hezbollah.

The central point of disagreement between Israel and Syria is the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed. Syria has demanded a full withdrawal from the Golan as a condition for peace.

Netanyahu said Israel would not accept preconditions to negotiations, indicating he would not agree ahead of time to a Golan withdrawal. He also said any agreement would have to guarantee Israel's security.

Indirect talks between Syria and Israel's previous government ended unsuccessfully in late 2008.

Comments

[Trogenhorse]

06:06 PM on 02/07/2010

I'm not sure anyone really knows the history of things here. Both sides point to history that occured before America was a country. That being said, there is a real paradox in the ME that only gets worse. A large amount of uneducated and unemployed men and boys. Boys who will grow up without hope. A sustained condition where people see no home and no reason to go on living/fighting began to think anything is a reason to die. That produces a situation where war is perpetual and there can never be peace. put simply, when people see no reason to live, living is no longer the goal.
No one wants that. Conflict on a large scale involves every other nation. It will not just be Isreal. It is more than time for the ME to find a path to peace for everyone's sake.

[MarcEdward]

06:34 PM on 02/07/2010

Isn't part of it that the ME is still finding it's way after the fall of the Ottomans? In a way, many of these problems were started when the Brits and French carved up that empire. Thanks a LOT England!

[MIKEinNYC]

05:56 PM on 02/07/2010

We've been hearing this for about 30 years.

The fact is Syria is a lackey of Iran. The chances of making peace with them are slim to none.

[MarcEdward]

06:06 PM on 02/07/2010

Syria is lackey to Iran? You mean SUNNI Syria is lackey to SHIITE Iran?
What makes less sense than the plot to Star Wars The Phantom Menace.

[GZLives]

01:26 PM on 02/08/2010

Yes Syria is a lackey of Iran .. Syria is NOT Sunni but Alawite

"'Alawites are an offshoot of Shi'ites. Some other Muslims, particularly in Syria and Lebanon, accept them as Muslims, but others consider themheretics (ghali) and outside of Islam. 'Alawites have seven pillars of Islam, including Jihad and devotion to 'Ali,who is divine. 'Alawites believe in drinking wine, and they have something similar to a communion service. Tens of thousands of 'Alawites have been killed by other Muslims, but today 'Alawites are in control in the country of Syria."

[mrfreeze]

05:56 PM on 02/07/2010

Anyone who is intellectually and morally honest about the whole subject of Israel knows that Israel will NEVER give up what it has and will continue to absorb territory. It is the MO of the Israeli government (and by default, the Israelis themselves).

Whenever Netanyahu or any other Israeli leaders says he/she is "open" to peace talks, this is code for we're going to continue to do and be what we are........

I recently heard an Egyptian scholar who said that Egypt and Israel have had "peace" for many years and yet, they are bitter adversaries. "Peace," he said, "is the absence of war....nothing more."

One thing is certain: I will die knowing that peace will never happen between Israel and its neighbors.

[basenji]

05:36 PM on 02/07/2010

Too much gas in favor of endless talks.

"Canada's Bontan announces two more huge Israeli gas fields
Gas at the Mira and Sarah offshore prospects could be worth $7.54 billion.
Globes' correspondent2 Feb 10 15:06
Canada's Bontan Corporation Inc. (Bulletin Board: BNTNF) subsidiary Bontan Oil and Gas Exploration today announced that its Mira and Sarah prospects offshore from Israel have up to 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, worth up to $7.54 billion, at current prices."

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000535716&fid=1725

[ZenJu]

05:16 PM on 02/07/2010

Funny. I would assume that most commenters at HuffPo, like me, are "liberals" interested in pursuing peace. Yet I read so much cynicism and outright hatred toward Israel, which is where I live and is a vigorous democracy--not without our problems, to be sure, and I do not always agree with my government. Syria used the Golan for attacking Israel for 19 years until we put a stop to that nonsense in 1967, when much of the Arab world wanted us dead. Most of us in Israel want peace and are quite ready to live alongside a Palestinian Arab state that would recognize our right to live here too. I must ask, what is the real agenda of those who call themselves "liberal" and yet wish for our annihilation and see nothing but evil here? In Israel, Arab Israelis can freely criticise the government, run for office, hold office; Arab women need not fear "honor killings;" gay people are not persecuted or hanged in public; girls are not stoned to death or whipped or buried alive; all faiths are protected by law and one may be an atheist and not live in fear. Israel has much to be proud of. May the day come soon when the Arab world is ready to truly live in peace with us.

[TheRapture]

05:29 PM on 02/07/2010

Israel a democracy? Highways for JEWS ONLY anyone?

[WBMD]

06:45 PM on 02/07/2010

That is highwaus for ISRAeLIS only (Christian Muslim and Jewish Israelis) because non-Israelis have been murdering Israelis on some of those roads.

[TheLonelyGod]

04:23 PM on 02/08/2010

They aren't even *in Israel.*

[DC]

05:47 PM on 02/07/2010

Huh.....why are you labeling posters? What are you talking about?

[ZenJu]

05:14 PM on 02/07/2010

Funny. I would assume that most commenters at HuffPo, like me, are "liberals" interested in pursuing peace. Yet I read so much cynicism and outright hatred toward Israel, which is where I live and is a vigorous democracy--not without our problems, to be sure, and I do not always agree with my government. Syria used the Golan for attacking Israel for 19 years until we put a stop to that nonsense in 1967, when much of the Arab world wanted us dead. Most of us in Israel want peace and are quite ready to live alongside a Palestinian Arab state that would recognize our right to live here too. I must ask, what is the real agenda of those who call themselves "liberal" and yet wish for our annihilation and see nothing but evil here? In Israel, Arab Israelis can freely criticise the government, run for office, hold office; Arab women need not fear "honor killings;" gay people are not persecuted or hanged in public; girls are not stoned to death or whipped or buried alive; all faiths are protected by law and one may be an atheist and not live in fear. Israel has much to be proud of. May the day come soon when the Arab world is ready to truly live in peace with us.

[TheRapture]

05:30 PM on 02/07/2010

Democracy, rEALLY? Highways for Jews Only anyone?

[guajiro]

10:13 PM on 02/07/2010

" Yet I read so much cynicism and outright hatred toward Israel". I disagree with you Zen. The disagreement we have isn't directed towards you or Israel. We know the people of Israel are just like us, just like the Palestinians, all willing to live alongside each other and to have happy homes and happy families. It is directed towards those who support Zionism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism
From 1417 to 1917, Palestine existed under the Ottoman empire and all lived in harmony. You say you want peace and are willing to live alongside an Arab Palestinian state, but yet you are unwilling to break bread with the Palestinians. Instead of a two state solution, why not a ONE-state solution. Why not all live together under one state in this glorious world you describe of democracy, equal rights for women, etc.? Why is it that not one, again I say, not one of your leaders is willing to put forth the one-state solution? Perhaps you are willing to live alongside an Arab Palestinian state, but are unwilling to live alongside an Arab Palestinian?

[ZenJu]

08:48 AM on 02/08/2010

Not gonna work, dude. I AM a Zionist, like many Israelis, and I believe that our people have much to offer the world. Don't know if you're aware of this, but there are around 1.5 million Israelis who are Arabs. Has our history together been ideal? Of course not...but we're working on it. Israeli Arabs, those who did not flee in 1948 (as indeed most Jewish Israelis urged them to remain, like the mayor of Haifa and Ben Gurion himself) and their descendents, are citizensof this country and we're working to improve our relationships here. But will Jews be welcome a future Palestinian State? Perhaps you should read what Fatah and Hamas have stated, for the record, and decide WHO is racist. Why can't we live side-by-side in peace, to the benefit of all? And why won't the one-state solution work? Look at Lebanon. Look at the former Yugoslavia. Then get back to me.

[ZenJu]

08:50 AM on 02/08/2010

Not gonna work, dude. I AM a Zionist, like many Israelis, and I believe that our people have much to offer the world. Don't know if you're aware of this, but there are around 1.5 million Israelis who are Arabs. Has our history together been ideal? Of course not...but we're working on it. Israeli Arabs, those who did not flee in 1948 (as indeed most Jewish Israelis urged them to remain, like the mayor of Haifa and Ben Gurion himself) and their descendents, are citizensof this country and we're working to improve our relationships here. But will Jews be welcome a future Palestinian State? Perhaps you should read what Fatah and Hamas have stated, for the record, and decide WHO is racist. Why can't we live side-by-side in peace, to the benefit of all? And why won't the one-state solution work? Look at Lebanon. Look at the former Yugoslavia. Then get back to me. Meanwhile, I'm living next to Arab Palestinians and we even have cookouts together.

[Whitley2009]

05:00 PM on 02/07/2010

Bullfeathers! Old Ben is not ready to negotiate with anyone. He will pay lip service to negotiations, then he will collapse on his promises.

[WBMD]

05:01 PM on 02/07/2010

Which promise has P.M. Netanyahu reneged on?

[WBMD]

08:25 PM on 02/07/2010

Still waiting for a specific answer to my specific question, without a bull rant, Twigy

[2tango]

04:42 PM on 02/07/2010

You Israelis, better reach for peace, We are getting tired of paying off Egypt/Jordan to protect you Artificial-State.

[LAThinker]

05:08 PM on 02/07/2010

Sounds like a threat. Is anybody scared?
Yes without Egypt and Jordan IDF will be crushed. I did not know they have such might.

[basenji]

04:07 PM on 02/07/2010

Israel LOVES peace talks so much so that she never wants them to end.

[WBMD]

04:12 PM on 02/07/2010

Let me help you end them Get the Arabs to say the following words:

"We recognize the historic right of a Jewish state to exist in peace and security in a small part of its ancestral homeland."

Once that is said, clearly, explicitly, the rest will be easy.

[LegalCodex]

04:42 PM on 02/07/2010

"in a small part of its ancestral homeland."

Israel already is larger than it ever was in historic times. the Biblical Israel was always just a collection of city states which were only united for under 200 years under the historical David and his son and grandson before collapsing due to tribal bickering.

[MarcEdward]

04:44 PM on 02/07/2010

To the Palestinians that would be like saying "We think it was right that Zionists forced us from our homes and towns at gunpoint, stole all our property, and refused to let us return to our homes"
That's like expecting a victim of rape to say "I think it was OK that I was raped at knifepoint" just to get her stolen purse back.
Sorry, but your propaganda is getting old and stale.

[Barry Black]

03:57 PM on 02/07/2010

Peace in the Middle East is an oxymoron----they've been fighting on and off for 5000 years----ya think they'll stop now when victory is in sight! Both sides believe victory is just a war ahead and they're right----when one side vanquishes the other in a true biblical sense then we'll have an end to conflict for an extended period, but not true peace.

[MarcEdward]

04:45 PM on 02/07/2010

you wrote "---they've been fighting on and off for 5000 years--"
Horse manure - you don't know what you're talking about. Under Islamic rule Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in peace for hundreds of years.

[WBMD]

04:56 PM on 02/07/2010

Only if your definition of living in peace includes the definition of dhimmi. You do recognize that word, don't you?

Of course you do.

Or, you might ask the Jews and Christians.

[mommamia526]

03:55 PM on 02/07/2010

The muslim countries have a few problems. One of those is that they have too large populations which grow too rapidly, lack of resources and no jobs!! No jobs!! No jobs!! Access to more land is not going to do the trick, because they need education, education, education!!! They have plenty of land. Israel builds. Israel creates businesses faster than China. Israel has buiness experience and acumen. Israel creates modernity and modern cities. The muslim countries have a few choices. One is to continue to murder their own populations, which happens regularly, but does not appear to make the economic situation better for those who remain. Another one is to make peace with Israel, and create an economic union with Israel and come into the modern age. Right now, radical Islam and the oldie fogie bogies spit at anyone who comes up with a new idea, or renovation. They will soon run out of spit. Yes, we are getting tired of the same old, same old, the murder and the mayhem. Syria has been threatening abroad, and it is getting warning upon warning in response. The choice is theirs.

[MarcEdward]

04:46 PM on 02/07/2010

Well is Israel is so rich and great, why do they need $4 billion in welfare payments from the USA annually?
DOH

[WBMD]

04:56 PM on 02/07/2010

Those are grants, meant to be spent in the U.S., to keep your cousin in Alabama employed.

[LegalCodex]

04:57 PM on 02/07/2010

They actually get around $25 billion dollars a year if you include private donations.

[HumeSkeptic]

03:37 PM on 02/07/2010

I hope that another sell-out of Palestinians is not in the making.

[Dr knowitall]

02:42 PM on 02/07/2010

I am well aware that it is anti Islamic therefore not ignorant just my opinion. This site is anti religion of all walks.

[HumeSkeptic]

03:38 PM on 02/07/2010

Can you post that in English?

[Dr knowitall]

09:05 AM on 02/08/2010

PUI...posting under the influence

[rubberstamp]

02:40 PM on 02/07/2010

RUTT RROW!!!
Peace headlines usually mean they are about to start bombing Gaza

[mommamia526]

04:21 PM on 02/07/2010

Well, actually, Syria has been at war with Israel for 60 (that is sixty!!) years. Israel is and has been interested in Peace with Syria and all countries in the ME. Syria has been babbling abroad about what they are going to do to Israel the last few weeks, and the response of some has been: *do not try it, because if you do, the royal house of Syria will be history so fast, you will not know what happened*. It is just talk, posturing and muscle flexing. After countering this babble by Syria, Israel is stating: *we want peace with you, and everyone in the ME, and we are open for talks and negotiations*. The reason there is no peace and there are no talks and discussions is NOT for the benefit of the Palestinians, but for the benefit of some regimes and some *leaders* of Arab countries, who would lose their positions. There are large contingents of Palestinians in camps in Lebanon, Jordan, and possibly in Syria, and then there is Gaza, under command of Hamas leadership out of Syria. They are all not doing very well, but useful chess pieces for Arab regimes. It is in Israel's interest that Palestinians do well, and also its other Arab neighbors. Good for business, trade, tourism, and good for Israelis. The ball is in the Arab Court!! The challenge for them is to catch that ball.

[LAThinker]

05:15 PM on 02/07/2010

Have Hamas fired more rockets? If not, no one is bombing Gaza

[WBMD]

05:27 PM on 02/07/2010

Hamas did. Today.

[Brightlight]

02:30 PM on 02/07/2010

Israel does NOTHING without a big fat check from the USA first. Wonder how much this costs the USA?