Wish this guy handled our foreign policy. But no, we have to live with what's- her-face and her two buddies - Dumb & Dumber.

Isn't it true that the Golan was part of Mandate Palestine, and given to Syria by the British in the late '20s? I've never understood why Israel has failed to claim the Golan on that basis alone.

Peace with the Golan is my view.

Syria and Lebanon were part of the FRENCH mandate, NOT British

Peace doesnt mean giving up a land that is ours. Look also France vs Germany ... France owns alsace lorraine and never try to cede this region for peace and finally they were recognized their sovereignty over this region. And let's also remind everybody that Tchecoslovakia ceded entire regions for peace with Germany and was finally annexed to those agressors... We must stand firm and we may have peace.

No crap no illusions no if ands or buts about it...just plain FACTS! Minister Livni said that Israel will lessen Israel's borders the keep Israel a Jewish country, in fact that means evey time an Arab Terrorist decides to attack Israel and Kill Jews according to Minister Livni Israel's borders will get smaller and smaller in reaction, thus meaning...within in 20 years no more Israel unless she is swallowed up before hand according to government theory. In addition in Israel today a Jew is not permitted to marry 4 wifes as is permitted in Torah law and rullings, ONLY an Arab is permitted and does marry 4 wives and this alone will demolish Israel sooner than later, oh did i forget Israel pays child allowance to all both Jews and Arabs hmmm somebody didn't do their math in the government. This is my opinion based on facts what is your opinion without living in denial, please reply this should be healthy.

I am an Ichud Leumi supporter but I don't support lies or misinformation. Just as I condemn the left for not explaining the reasons behind their positions and instead lying, I don't support the right doing that either. I support a permenant retention of the West Bank and the Golan. On the other hand legally the Golan is Occupied Territory, it is legally occupied due to agression from Syria but occupied nonetheless. It's annexation was illegal under international law. The West Bank on the other hand wasn't the sovereign recognized property of another country. Vis a Vis Mandatory history, a very small part of what's now the Golan was originally in mandatory Palestine. It included Banias. The British traded it with the French for an area which included Dan and todays Kiryat Shmona.

A year ago nobody would have had to write articles on "why Israel shouldn't surrender the Golan to Assad". But today many are forced to defend the Golan from the enemies within, Olmert & Livni. Just a few weeks ago Olmert and Livni handed over a 67 conquered village to the UN as a "gesture" with nothing in return. They turned peoples lives upside down there with another wave of one of Olmert's famous pen strokes. But this was done more as a feeler. Not even a whimper was heard from anyone in Israel. Now Livni has a green light to make her "historic" trip to Damascus and meet the schizophrenic Jew hater Assad. She can't wait to cede more Israeli land to another terror machine like she was a party to in Katif. She actually thinks she will get it right some day and people will realize how brilliant she really is and shower her with the accolades and position she thinks she deserves. Ironically her father was a founder of the State of Israel. Here, a mere generation later she is dismantling the very state he helped create ,one dunam at a time.

Although Mr. Heitner arguments his point well the story is told only partially. Hatay was part of Syrian territory under French Mandate, before Syria became independent France agreed to grant a special status to this city. Hatay became an independent state in 1938 and its parliament voted to join Turkey immediately after independence. There was no armed conflict there and international community recognized Turkey’s borders including Hatay which is not the case for Golan. Nevertheless I think Israel must concentrate on the Palestinian path instead of placing a price rag to Golan.

If i should give the short version of the policy Israel should follow it would be like this: Forget about Gaza, negotiate the future of judea and samaria and never never never never give up the Golan heights.

and create their own problems. Israel is in the Middle East bordering the nasty states like Syria. Do you really think peace with Syria is possible? You give Syria land they give you a piece of paper. Stupid!

After spewing years of leftist blather about how we have to give away the Golan, is this a change we can expect to continue?

If syria wants peace they can have it with out the golan. if they are not willing to accept the loss of golan then they really do not want peace. Simple.

This is all silly. We havn't heard from Syria despite all the articles what Israel would get in return for the Golan without which Syria will not give peace. That's why most of the responses to peace with Syria are negative.

"Historical Background--The Golan was always part of the Jewish homeland. The Syrian claim to the Golan is tenuous. Syria, as a political entity, did not exist at all until after the first World War. Until then it was just another province in the Ottoman empire, with ill-defined borders. In 1923, in an Anglo/French great power play, the border between Syria and Israel was established. The Golan Heights were ceded to Syria. Even before the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Syrians, having heavily fortified the area, subjected the villages in northern Israel to almost daily shellings, making normal life impossible. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Syria attacked Israel and was defeated. Israel occupied the Golan Heights and in 1981, for all practical purposes, annexed them."

Golan is and will always be Israel and is NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Forget the issue of legitimacy: Israel withdrew to the "Blue line" and this did not prevent the war with Hizballa. Egypt stroke a deal yet at any moment the issue of Umm Rashrash (a.k.a. Eilat) may arise if Israel behaves stupidly. Golan is legally annexed, period. All peace treaties hold water only when they are beneficial to both sides. Once Syria is really interested in buying the support Israeli side, they will find means to convey their interest, regardless the Golans. If they lure Israel to ceding the Golans in exchange for empty declarations, there will be no peace. And let's stop deluding ourselves...

The author omits an important point. It wasn't solely Turkish determination; Syria also changed its position because it was being accused of double standards. International opinion has never accepted Hatay as a part of Syria, just as it has never accepted the Golan as a part of Israel. It was therefore in Syria's interests to recognise Turkish sovereignty over Hatay (where it had no international support) in order to strengthen its position on return of the Golan. From the perspective of Damascus, Syria has conformed to international consensus, exactly what it demands Israel do in the case of the Golan.

And we should not forget that the conflict is not for the Golan it is all about the existence of Jewish state and that was a reason the Syrians were ready to give up Alexandretta to their Moslem brother Golan never has been part of the Syria it was a despite land since 1948 and it will stay for ever part of Jewish State

Th syrian government may, for tactical reasons, have accepted not to insist for the time being on the syrian sovernity on Alxendretta but let me remind you that syrian like jews have an extraordinary memory and one day or another both Golan and Alexandretta will return back to syria. And this is shared by 100% by syrians.

So lets see...the Golan has been "sacred" Syrian soil since..ummm 1920. WOW, now that is a long time! Lets be clear, When the Ottoman Empire was carved up, the parts were scattered among the Great Powers, Britain and France who didn't particularly care where the boundaries were exactly as long as they had their spheres of influence. Who cared about tribal boundaries So the only country that had any history in the areas before 1920 and before the Ottoman conquests was Israel. All the others including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan Iraq and Saudi Arabia as well as the emirates were artificial creations of Britain and France. And up until about 1967 there was an attempt by the leaders and their off-springs (all installed as well by the Brits or French to have one united pan-Arabic region..like the Umma but a bit more secular. Now the trend is the same but under a religious fanaticism (thank you Saudi Arabia and your Wahabi cult). The point is that the Syrians have no automatic right to the Golan. They lost it in a war they started and its too bad. So suck it up, Syrians. You can be sure of one thing though...if it had been the Jordanians or any other Muslim country/group/tribe that had captured the Golan, it would be one big yawn. No one and certainly not the US State Dept. or the British Foreign Office or the Quay D'Orsay would give a shit. The Golan should remain Israeli because they conquered it in a war the Arabs started, because it is an enormous strategic asset and because the Jews (and Druze) have done more good things with the land than the Syrians ever did or ever would do!

as long as Israel is in the hands of Mr Olmert and friends. The country is for them to give away as they please and Israelis can do nothing about it. Unless....

to deal with the Armenian holocaust, and the horrible treatment of the Kurd minority. You have many problems in Turkey, stay out of the problems that dont concern Turkey. As logically to me, the speaker seems to have his facts correct.

the Kurds deserve a large slice of Turkey as their own country. This is one huge double standard that many Turks cannot accept.

Mr. Heitner, sit down for a couple of hours, and learn about the history of your country, that has been hidden from by your own authorities for obvious reasons. You will learn that according to the resolutions of the League of Nations signed the 24th of july 1922, concerning the attribution of a mandate to Britain for the implementing of the jewish national home in Palestine, the Golan Heights were included within the borders of the country. Article 5 of above mentioned resolutions says, and I quote: "The Mandatory shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded to, or in any way placed under the control of, the Government of any foreign Power". Nevertheless, Britain, in total breach of article 5, ceded the Golan Heights, in 1923, to France, the Mandatory of Syria.If not this breach, even during the partition plan proposed by the United Nations in 1947, the Golan would have been part of the Jewish State! During the 6 days war, Syria did not loose the Golan, it simply went back to its legal owner, the State of Israel, in full accordance with the resolutions of the League of Nations. For your information: you can find this document (probably the most important document of the 20th century about Zionism) at the "United Nations Office at Geneva, department , the League of Nations Archives".