Syrai will insist that the Golan issue be on the table, or it will ask, why should it attend? Syria will not go along with any demand by the Big 4 (Russia, US, UN, EU) unless it results in the return of the Golan H., and a PALs state as envisioned at Camp David, plus the return of all 5m Arabs whose relatives left Palestine in 48 and 67. It will not recognize UN 242..or the Road Map's provisions. Why should it? Israel's mistake was in agreeing to return the Golan Hts except for a few meters of land along the sea., before a total settlement, that was enforceable. Now, Iran is more a problem than Syria or Egypt's cold peace with Israel. Syrians may be crazy, but they ain't stupid. Why invite them at all?

all this crap and 60 years of meetings & conferences produced nothing. Another 1000 years of these crappy meetings will do nothing because they don't address the real problem, which is Jewish occupation in Palestine and how to dismantle it. Sure, Rice can get the corrupt, unelected regimes in the mideast to sign any peace of baloney which she/they call an agreement to end the conflict. But who would convince millions of Palestinians who were ethnically cleansed from Haifa, Jaffa, and Jerusalem by Jewish terror groups that they have to accept refugee camps in Jordan, Gaza, and Lebanon and forget the towns from which the were expelled.

Olmert knows that the price for Syrian attendance is the Golen. Rice would be delighted to see Olmert give up the Golan and the only thing thats stopped him doing so before now is the more hawkish members of the Bush administratration who want to isolate Syria because they see it as part fo the axis of evil. Rice is not one of the more hawkish members of this administration and she will be running the show here. In the past Olmert has done alot of talking about giving it up and doing deals and he has said how much he respects Assad and his polticies. Annapolis will be the biggest threat Israel has faced in its history because for the first time ever its going into the lions den surrounded by enemies, its friends are on the side of the enemy and its PM is looking out for the interests of the enemy. Israel can learn alot from the arabs when it comes to politics when arabs say they want something they mean it and they will wait indefaintly without compromise untill they getg what they want. Israel says something the enemy causes enough problems so they say ok lets just change direction give them what they want .. anything for an easy life. Once Jerusalem was a red line never to be crossesd then Barak looking for his place in history offers it to Arafat meaning its just as much up for grabs as Gaza, Olmert former mayor of Jerusalem says on record he thinks Israel could benefit from dividing the city. The refugee issue isnt a red line its today a pink one Israel allthough FOR NOW Israels position is we dont accept a right of return the go to hell attitude changes to a lets compromise one we will let couple of hundred thousand+ If todays politicians had been around 60 years ago there would be no Israel instead of fighting to create a jewish state they would be looking to compromise or just forget the whole idea in exchange for being allowed to return to their homes in Germany and other parts of Europe. The arabs are also learning more about millitary tactics while Israel has spent the past 15 years sitting back saying peace peace peace cutting the millitary budge even cutting back on training for reserves Making more and more startegic territorial concesions all because the arabs mentioned the P word. The arabs know how to manipulate Israel round their little finger all they need to do is say PEACE and Israels leaders and dominent left drop whatever they are doing and say tell us what you want us to do. Right now its Abbas running Israel he says the right things and Olmert will give him virtualy anything he wants because he is not Hamas.

Why can't the Jewish people have a homeland? Why should we have to suffer persecution after persecution? Did the Holocaust show you nothing? The Jewish people must live on their biblical homeland and govern themselves, so as to avoid another genocide. It is sad, but people seem to inharently dislike Jews, no matter what we accomplish. Haven't you seen the number of anti-semitic activities increaseing around the world lately? Our ancestors were forcibly removed from their homes (and killed), while the "Palestinians" moved voluntarily (and lived). We are not demanding a right of return to Europe, so why can't the "Palestinians" move on too? And, by the way, there are 22 Arab countries who could have taken these people in a long time ago. Why should the Jews allow the "Palestinians" to come into the ONLY Jewish country in the entire world. Have they yearned to come to Eretz Yisrael for 2000 years? No, but the Jews have. There is absolutely, 100% no way that world Jewry would ever allow the State of Israel to be dismantled. The living miracle of Israel is our last hope, because if we give that up, then there is no basis to Judaism, and there is bound to be more persecution. Am Yisrael Chai, Long Live Israel!

"Israel" doesnt want , Olmert and his handlers want, and in no way do they represent, or have the right to speak for "Israel"

Unless you are a native American, which I doubt, then shouldn't you leave America and go back to where your relatives came from? Two thousand years ago my Jewish ancestors were living in the Golan. They peacefully traded olive oil with their Lebanese and Syrian neighbours. There were no "Palestinians" living on the Golan. Then the invading Roman army murdered and expelled the Jews living on the Golan. So Linda unlike you,who lives on occupied land, my pregnant wife, little baby and myself are living on OUR land. Is that to hard for you to understand???

....to see Syria attend. Stage 1 - Syria's expulsion from Lebanon. Stage 2 - nuclear plant destroyed by Israel. Stage 3 - no concession on Golan from Israel. Stage 4 - total loss of face by Assad. Stage 5 - regime change in Syria.

The Jews from Arab countries were amongst the wealthiest people in the middle east. They had their businesses, lands, properties and assets forcibly removed when they were expelled from the Arab countries. The hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees could trace their ancestry back to King Nebuchadnezzar. The Jews of Syria, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Egypt could trace their ancestry back well over a thousand years. The "Palestinians" only had to be working in the area for 2 years to qualify as a refugee. Of the 490,000 "Palestinian" refugees, more than half were economic migrants who came to work in the area because Jews paid well. Of the one million Jewish refugees from Arab countries, all had good jobs and not one was an economic migrant. They're the REAL refugees, and the FORGOTTEN refugees. Currently, Libya, Jordan & Lebanon are Judenrein (Jew free) countries. In Iraq there are less then 8 Jews, in Syria less than that. These Arab states are completely intolerant of Jews. Israel is the Jewish homeland and has had a continual Jewish presence for over 3,500 years. Israel gave homes to many of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries... not one Arab state gave a proper home to, nor integrated, any of the "Palestinians". The Arab states agree with the British and Americans, as early as 1943, that there would be a transfer of populations, that the Arab countries would take in the Arab refugees from Israel. Of course, they reneged on their promise, just as they've reneged on every promise made since then.

Linda, very strong sentiments indeed. You either do not know your history, or choose not to know it, or do know it and are totally prejudiced. Palestine, The Holy Land, of which Jerusalem was, is and always will be It's Capital will soon, very soon, regardless of what You or Anyone else on this planet thinks or believes, become The Capital City of The World... then The Universe!! Talk to me then. Cheers. Paul

In your brillience, perhaps you could tell us where the Jewish people should go when they leave. This Land was and is their homeland. It has been for as long ago as anyone can determine. Your comments are heartless and ignorant. I don't know what the Jews have done to you to make you so full of hate but it is only hurting you. Could it be that you are a palestinian named Linda? Living in the USA? Well Linda, please don't embarass Americans. At least have the courtesy to delete USA on your posts. I am ashamed of you.

The inalienable rights of Jews to the BIBLICAL, ancestral Jewish homeland must not be violated! No one is demanding Muslims surrender THEIR top religious areas of Mecca and Medina! Non-Muslims are forbidden entry to Mecca and Medina! In 1948, Egypt invaded Gaza, ethnically cleansing all Jews and in 1948, Jordan invaded Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, ethnically cleansing all Jews. In violent opposition to G-D, Muslim Jordan destroyed 58 synagogues in Jerusalem. When Israel won the Arab war of aggression in 1967, Jews returned to the areas of their ancestral homeland they had been ethnically cleansed from for 19 years. Anti-Israel propaganda DECEITFULLY calls Jews' legitimate return "occupation". Jewish ownership of the land, homes and buildings stolen from the Jews in the 1948 Islamic invasion must be restored! Jews have had a continuous presence in physical and spiritual homeland Israel for 4000 years.

Arafat, the Egyptian, was the first leader of this new people. March 31, 1977 PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein: “The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism - Dutch newspaper Trouw

There NEVER was an Arab country of Palestine. Jerusalem was NEVER the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Jewish Bible, not once in the Koran. Muslims ALREADY HAVE an Arab Palestinian State. In 1922, Britain illegally gave 80% of JEWISH Palestine to Muslims. The area became Jordan, giving Muslims an Arab Palestinian State on JEWISH land. The new Arab country was religiously cleansed of Jews.

Tit for tat. The truth is GAZA is noones, there is NO single strong claim that GAZA is a palestinian entity. So who gets GAZA, as for the WEST BANK, a lot of that land is jewish and there are some christian claims. How far do you want to go back in history.

Does he not? Make any deal on territory or peace dependent upon a referendum. Isnt Israel supposed to be a democratic country.

You are just misinformed. Israel is trying to get out from the occupied territories as soon as possible, which has not been possible because of security issues. Just imagine having kassam missiles thrown from the West Bank instead of Gaza. It would be the end of Israel.