George W. Bush overrode the concerns and advice of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas, both of whom and almost everyone else acquainted with the Middle East, warned that if the elections were held, that Hamas would emerge victorious. But Bush was inspired, got a message from his Higher Power that democracy requires a roll of the dice. So he rolled. And the next day, amazed at the outcome he began funding a secret Fateh effort to overthrow Hamas in Gaza, with the next most obvious result, Fateh out of Gaza, and a Palestine divided into two cantons. So, with absolutely nobody representing "Palestine," the president, the strategic thinker in his own imagination, following seven years allowing the situation to deteriorate concludes that he, genius of diplomacy, can put all prior presidents who spent years trying to bring the parties to peace came upon the novel idea of Annapolis. Let's bring everybody together, the Arab states, the Europeans, Abbas and Olmert and create the conditions for serious negotiations. As bankrupt an idea as the elections followed by the US engineered eviction of Fateh from Gaza. So now, bereft of anything even remotely seeming a success in his presidency, Bush turns to Syria, one of his Axis of Evil countries, with a truly brilliant departure from his past efforts at diplomacy: Bush writes a secret letter to his new friend in Damascus, Bashar al-Assad. "if you," he writes (and this is true!) "abandon your alliance with Iran then I, the president of the United States promise to force Israel to withdraw from the Golan before my term as president ends!" No joke, Bush sent Abbas to Syria to deliver the message. What chutzpah! Sacrifice Israel for personal gain? But back to the original question, Even before Bush forced the elections, lost Gaza in a fit of outrage; even before destroyed any possibility of Israel facing a united Palestinian negotiating team, even before Bush Syria was still Israel's most important strategic negotiating partner. this was obvious in 2000 and continues so today. If possible, Syria first.

These Israeli officials are not interested in peace, they dont care about the financial and security damage this will do to Israel they care about egos. The palestinians are prooving harder to make a deal with than we expected so lets give Assad the Golan and anything else he wants so we can have Neville Chamberlin style PEACE IN OUR TIME. Who cares if it brings real peace we have got the political rewards out of it and Livni is going to be in Sweeden collecting her nobel prize and her backers will be hailed visionries. Its all about political egos not peace. Sadat was at least serious about peace in some form Assad is interested in only his prize, he has refused to stop his support for terrorists. He may or may not break ties with Iran if the price is right but that doesnt stop the Iranian threat because he is the puppet on the string not the puppet master. Iran at worst looses their parasite puppet who took Iranian money to pay their bills, gets either Iranian home made weapons or money to buy Russian weapons. To Iran Syris is a propoganda tool not a valuable ally whose loss would weaken them. Sad thing is that all the Israeli politicians need to do is make a secret backroom deal the Israeli public will not be permited to know the facts of, they will tell Assad visit the Knesset and the public will fall for it and agree to pay any Syrian price. The Israeli public is so blinded by the idea of peace they wont look beyond the surface. The Israeli politicians are only interested in satisfying their egos and holding onto power. The arabs know how to play the system and when Assad starts playing smart politics Israel will give him anything ... Golan, share of the Kineret waters, compensation for 41 years of holding the Golan which upset the Assad family. Especialy an Israel run by a Livni coalition of the left & Obama in the White House. Time for open and truly democratic government in Israel which means an end to backroom deals all political negotiations must be out in the open & an end to the current political system which breeds coruption that means constituency based government not a list where the one who sucks up to the party leader most gets a Knesset seat. An end to coalition governent where tax payers money is used to buy coalitions, when we vote the policies we get depend on who is in the coalition not what we are told before the election. Also an independently drafted constitution which gives the people rights we are not subjects of politicians who can make or change any law at will. Even the Basic Laws can be changed at will by a government, they have fancy titles but they are no different to any other law. Change this Israel will be able to call itself a real democracy and we will see an end to coruption, stability and irrisponsible government where the politicians are in it either for ego & power or for how much money they can get out of being part of a coalition.

Leaving aside that in hindsight, the "Peace"with Egypt was a major strategic mistake, our Foreign Ministry is staffed by delusional crackpots & incompetents. The only similarity between Assad & Sadat is that Assad would also likely be assassinated by Muslim fanatics & succeeded by who-the-hell knows what kind of an even more unstable hostile regime.

Israel cannot be reconciled with the Mafia regime of Assad. Syria will wait till the moment that it sees chances of defeating Israel. Syria cannot efford good relations with Israel. 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 because it was expedient to do so. Hafez Assad came to power following a dizzying succession of coups that had made Syria the most unstable regime in the Middle East. The Assads are seated atop a bucking bronco. They are members of the Allawi religious minority who are usually not even considered to be Muslims. They rule a country of disparate minorities with a potential for chaos almost as great as that of Iraq. The radical Muslim Brotherhood is always there, threatening to take over the country by fair means or foul, and the usual Ba’th party rivalries that have plagued all such regimes are also a threat to Assad family rule. Their rule is not about improving living standards for Syria. Syrian living standards have fallen behind the none-too-glamorous ones of Jordan or Egypt. It is not about democracy, a Western luxury Syria can’t afford, according to Bashar Assad. The Assad regime is about stability, and it is about money and power for the Assad family. The regime is comparable in every way to the fictional Corleone Mafia family. Prosperity and peace would ruin the Assad regime. Therefore, Western assumptions that Syrian leadership must want peace and prosperity are mistaken, and 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 as explained at : http://xrl.us/bjcsd

Is that what is being referenced because there doesn't appear to be any other connection to Sadat.

The glories of relations with Syria as measured in the number of Lebanese politicians assassinated by Bashir Assad and his minions. It is good to know that Israel functions in spite of the a Foreign Service that is less than incompetent.

....and I'm Father Christmas!

... the Nobel peace prize is awarded by the Norwegian parliament, in Oslo. HTH Hand

Assad himself should step very carefully when it comes to negotiating the return of the Golan. Getting his terrorist hands on the Golan would certainly give him a short term prize and a boost in popularity at home amongst some. Once he has his rewards he has to start watching his back there will be the terrorists who will kill him for turning his back on them which he will be required to do, if he is forced to end his close relationship with Iran then he may find that the Iranians dispatch a few terrorists of their own kill their former puppet. He may even find himself upsetting the palestinian terrorists for both making a deal with Israel and closing things like Hamas offices in Damascus which he will also be required to do. He risks the arabs either seeing him as an America puppet who has betrayed the arabs & muslims or it may even give a renewed sense of hope to the pro democracy activists in Syria to overthrow him. If I were Assad I would prefer to play the hardline arab leader demanding but not getting the Golan, strategicly he doesnt need it to the same extent Israel does but not having it does allow him to be the hardline arab nationalist which they all love. Israel should also be wary because other than the other issues like cost, water and security it risks increasing palestinian terror they will see Assad managed to defeat Israel by get the Golan and if they keep trying to wear Israel down they will also defeat it.

to stop receiving aid from Iran! With nothing even remotely approaching success in his eight years in office, having paved the way for Iranian hegemony and nuclear arms development, having forced Palestinian elections over the protests of Mahmoud Abbas and Israel, elections which resulted in Hamas becoming a political as well as military power among the Palestinians; now the self-styled "strategic thinker" from the west decides to stab Israel in the back for one last grasp at some, any kind of victory for posterity and the history books. Bush wrote a top secret letter, “personal and confidential” (hidden from Israel and his own ambassador to Syria) to Assad, one of Bush's self-appointed members of the Axis of Evil promising to force Israel to withdraw from the Golan if only Assad would promise to stop being friends with Iran. And this is the man with whom McCain proudly points to as having supported on 90% of all issues. What will a McCain presidency hold for Israel, withdrawal from the Galil, surrender of Jerusalem entire?

I doubt Assad may accomplish what Sadat did but alas politicians love to flatter each other even Livni refuses to form a co altion government in Israel elections need happen to do so Assad is more Livni than Sadat RIGHT ??? Thank you... M. S.