It is better to talk peace and enjoy long life then spend money for Russian armaments and loose it all (Again). He learned from Dad experience. He probably understood that he don't need a nuc to be respected. He need to turn Syria in to a beautiful and prosperous country living in peace with all neighbors. The Golan didn't brought him lack in the past and will only bring more disasters upon him in the future .

make olmert just dissapear? like, puff, away-like? like "not here" anymore? like abra kadabra? please? thanks for trying.

If Syria wants peace with Israel, it should offer in exchange the Golan. The Golan represent for Israel more security than "peace" with Syria. But of course that will not happen. So, there is no reason for Israel to be generous with the Mafia regime of Assad. The Assad family has established a hereditary dynasty shored up by repression within, and confrontation and terror abroad. The rule of the Assads is not aimed at improving the lot of their people or forwarding a particular ideology. They changed ideology from secular Arabism to a seemingly impossible confection of pan-Arabism and Islamist extremism. It is pointless to “engage” Syria in dialogue except insofar as it is possible to confront them with their violations and insist that they mend their ways.

It pains me when I see Israelis express sentiment that it is "pointless" to engage in talks with its neighbors. The world looks to Israel to be the smart, diplomatic player in a region populated by close-minded idiots. No, it's not fair to demand more of you, but we do. If the middle east is ever to calm down and stop being at the center of the world's problems, Israel will have to be the bigger person. Kudos, then, to Olmert and his team for initiating talks while others want more of the same blame game. Like them or not, they're your neighbors. And people that don't talk to their neighbors have PROBLEMS.

Mazuz, if you are at all a real Attorney General and not a fake and fraud, you must, under the law, indict Olmert for even suggesting negotiation of the Golan. It is forbidden by law because it is ours, never was Syria's, is an absolutely giant security risk and treasonous.

He knows that Olmerts a weak fool only interested in politcal glory and survival and would do just about anything to stay in office so peace talks justify that. If Assad doesnt get what he wants out of Olmert he also knows there is an American ellection in November and Obama is the favorite and he is going to want to present an image of a new more peace loving America. If there is peace talks happeining then all he has to do is push them along and put the preasure on Israels leadership to do a bad deal for the sake of a peace treaty. If Israel wants to keep the Golan then the only way is to pass laws which means that neither the Americans or Israeli leaders looking for glory can bypass. First a significant Knesset majority ( in theory all Olmert needs right now is 51% Knesset majority ) very easy to bribe support from the other parties in return for their votes. We need a minimum 75% majority and if that is achived then the people should have the final say through a referendum. Thats going to be the democartic way of doing things and stops the like of Olmert looking for politicaly motivated nobel prizes selling out the country for his own glory rather than the interests of the country, Israel needs the Golan alot more than it needs a formal treaty with Syria. Its startegic high ground, its home to about 30,000 jews who live in peace with their druze naighbors. We earn millions of dollars anually from the Golan through tourism or business. Giving up the Golan gives Syria access to the Kineret Israeli taxpayers will be paying the bill for this treaty for the next decade. Syria will fill the Golan with hundreds of thousands of arabs overnight putting terrorists onto our front door and not being able to do anything about it other than make diplomatic requests to Assad to stop it. It will probably drive out the druze who will look to Israel to take care of them and further destabilising things. Also just because you have a treaty doesnt mean the treaty will be enforced especialy with a dictaitor. Only last week there was a story on here about how how one of Assads relatives had tried to overthrow him so even if Assad did keep his part of the bargin what happens if he is overthrown? Syrias best friend is Iran so what happens when Syria allows Iran to build airbases in Syria next to the Golan so even if its delillitarised Iranian jets will still be in striking range of Israel. As things stand Syria is no threat to Israel and by not having a formal treaty Israel & Syria have had peace since 1973.

Who cares what olmert and turgeman/turbowitz are doing with syrira. They sit in different rooms and the islamic turks pass messages. Syrians offer some thoiughts about the future in return for the golan. Olmert says ok. Who cares. Just like barak, he's trying to save his skin. It won't help because israelis hate olmert's guts, its over the same way they had it with barak.Olmert will not know one day of peace when he leaves his job for putting through this ordeal of cowardice.Shaorn had to carry this bag of cowards on his shoulders. The IDF has to step up and one of its generals has to take charge. Olmert is out of control. Eitam is 100% right. Olmert is unfit to order the IDF into battle and they will not fight for him or for barak.

Eitam is 100% correct that olmert is unfit to lead israel, nor does the IDF want to fight under him or barak.Hasson and other kadimites are olmert spinners who dumbbells. All israelis know as the poll shows, israel wants olmert out and he doesn't know what he is doing.