Just a correction to my earlier post, of course the land in question was the EAST shore, not the west which I typed.

every time i look at a photo of this guy, i can't help but think "What a pencil-neck!"

He's an honest man. He tried to talk to the Syrians and took stick for that. The fact that he is wiling to learn from his experiences means the cobber has integrity. Good on ya, mate!