Golan Heights
Photo: Effi Shrir
Syria: Israel will leave Golan Heights
Damascus Radio, a mouthpiece for government positions, says, ‘What happened in south Lebanon and Gaza will happen in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Jerusalem; Syria will eventually gain full control over the Golan Heights, even if the process will be long and difficult’
The Israeli withdrawals from Gaza and southern Lebanon prove that even though Israel can achieve military victories and conquer Arab lands, it will eventually succumb to the (Arab) public’s will, Damascus Radio, a mouthpiece for government positions, said.
The remarks came in response to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s recent statement whereby the Golan Heights would remain under Israeli control forever.
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Damascus Radio operates on behalf of President Bashar Assad’s regime, and its programming is authorized and encouraged by the government.
“What happened in south Lebanon and Gaza will happen in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Jerusalem,” remarks aired on the station said.
“The Golan Heights will be Arab and Syrian, and Syria will eventually gain full control over the region, even if the process will be long and difficult.”
Syria's tool
The station said that Mofaz’s remarks (the defense minister also said, “We must continue to populate the Golan Heights and help the local industry flourish”) expose Israel’s intentions to expand and are aimed at adding tension to the region and leading it to chaos.
The Foreign Ministry's Arab media department spokesman, Lior Ben Dor, told Ynet, “Syria would be wise to refrain from embarking on adventures that may lead to unpleasant results. Despite the fact that Israel took control of the Golan Heights after it was attacked by Syria and other Arab countries, it is willing to renew negotiations with Syria.”
“However, in order for this to happen Syria must stop supporting Palestinian terror organizations that operate from its territory; these groups are foiling Israeli and Palestinian attempts to achieve peace. Syria must also stop supporting Hizbullah” he said.
On Thursday a senior Syrian official said Mofaz’s remarks prove Israel is determined to destroy the peace process, adding that Israel's actions in the Golan Heights and West Bank are aimed at “Populating the occupied territories with Jews and creating facts on the ground that would make it impossible to renew negotiations and reach an agreement based on the 1967 borders.”
Last week top U.S. State Department official Alberto Fernandez said he believes Syria would not hesitate to use the terror organizations to achieve its goals regarding Israel.
“I know from my experience in Syria, where I lived for a long time, that Syria used to employ the various Palestinian Jihad organizations as a tool to press Israel and others,” he said.
“At times Syria would freeze the terror organizations’ activity, as was the case during the 1994 peace talks.”
