Posted on 01/15/2007 8:27:02 PM PST by TyroneSlothrop
As reported by Haaretz and spotted first by LGF: Haaretz is reporting a historic agreement between Israel and Syria.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
I see zero percent chance of such an agreement being ratified by the Knesset.
My son and I watched something on the Military Channel a few days ago on the '73 war between Israel and the Arabs.
I had to keep chiming in because the two guys narrating it were quite funny in how they were portraying Arab defeat as massive victory.
Especially funny was when Israel pushed across the Sinai back into Egypt and "ignored a ceasefire agreed to by the Egyptians" as if somehow they magically wanted peace (with no mention of the Soviets screaming that there better be one). And no mention at all on the intense pressure by the Arabs on the Soviets to intervene and only a passing mention towards the end of the US and the Soviet Union staring each other down.
Much concentration on the initial Arab success and little embellishment of the Israelis pointing towards Cairo and Damascus later in the war.
'There was no breakthrough with Syria'
Excerpts:
MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) on Tuesday morning denied a report that there had been secret agreements between Israel and Syria during the era of Ariel Sharon's premiership, saying that that it was an "absolute fabrication."
During an interview with Israel Radio, Steinitz said that there were no official contacts between Israel and Syria when Sharon was prime minister, during which time Steinitz served as chairman of the Knesset Foreign affairs and Defense Committee.
"I am assuming there were unofficial contacts," he said, adding that as part of a British initiative he himself had met with a Syrian representative.
The Likud MK said that when he reported the meeting to Sharon the two agreed that it was impossible to reach breakthrough with the Syrians until it uprooted terrorism.
Earlier Sunday, Ha'aretz reported that Israel and Syria came to several agreements during secret talks held in Europe from September 2004 to July 2006.
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Note also the dates, 2004 to July 2006. After that date there was that little thing called a war with Syria on the side of Hezb. If Assad had been promised the Golan heights he would have doen everythin in his power to keep the Hezb in check.
However, there is surely some agenda behind the floating of this story now. Israel better rid itself of Olmert and Kadima double quick!
You don't isolate Iran by "delivering" Syria, you isolate and practically destroy Syrian regime by "delivering" Iran... which has to happen anyway, which is why Syria by itself is just a diversion and is not worth time and money to deal with, and why it's still "untouched".
"Domino principle" assures that regime change in Iran will precipitate regime or attitude change in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere around Israel.
The Gordian Knot is in Tehran, everything else is just exercises and hot air.
Anyway, this sounds fishy on the face of it, Golan only makes sense to Syria as a strategic point for attacking Israel, not planting parks and providing security to make sure tourists don't litter.
ping.
Daniel
English: American Standard Version Latin: Vulgata Clementina
Daniel 9 [Context] [Commentary]
27. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate.
Confirmabit autem pactum multis hebdomada una : et in dimidio hebdomadis deficiet hostia et sacrificium : et erit in templo abominatio desolationis : et usque ad consummationem et finem perseverabit desolatio.
DEBKA?
I'll believe it when I see it...
The document is described as a "non-paper," a document of understandings that is not signed and lacks legal standing - its nature is political. It was prepared in August 2005 and has been updated during a number of meetings in Europe.
Huh? So how are so many details available? This is confusing.
For his part, the European mediator stressed that the Syrian leadership is concerned that the loss of petroleum revenues will lead to an economic crash in the country and could consequently undermine the stability of the Assad regime.
How much petrol does Syria have??
Park??! Reminds me of the Park Hotel in Netanya.
Many of the old military arguments don't hold water now though. While Israel used to be shelled from there, the cheap and easy availability of cruise missiles now means that if Syria wants to go down that road they don't need the Heights to do it. The Heights actually concentrates launchers or artillery in a limited area versus the easier option of cruise missiles which are hard to track back and easier to move around. Besides which, a warning of the consequences for any harassment from the heights would allow retaliation which the current situation doesn't while Israel holds it but none (Including most Israelis) really view it as part of Israel.
Many view it as a necessity, but the majority still view it as being soemething oocccupied for military ends rather than a natural part of the nation.
Compared to the earlier wars it was a massive victory. After all, while Israel did smash them eventually it would have been far closer - or worse - if they hadn't been able to rely on the US for restocks of weapons. That was a war where the Israelis did come within a hairsbreadth of losing everything and we were damn lucky it turned out the way it did.
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It was a nice story though.
Israeli "representative" at Syria-Israel talks: I was not acting as representative
RESPONSE: Minister: If there were contacts, we'd have known
By Haaretz Service Last update - 09:37 16/01/2007
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/814085.html
A senior cabinet minister, responding to the Haaretz report that understandings for a peace agreement between Israel and Syria were formulated in a series of secret meetings in Europe between September 2004 and July 2006, was quoted Tuesday as saying that there were no contacts between the two nations, and that the story was "a bluff."
"We don't know about this, and if this had happened, we would have known about it," Israel Radio quoted the unnamed minister was as saying. "This is not serious. It's possible that there were contacts on the level of academics, it's possible that there were reports to officials on a low level. But it did not reach higher than that."
The minister dismissed the report as a "bluff," the radio said.
David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's office, said "the Israeli government is unaware of any such meetings."
Former foreign minister Silvan Shalom said that he first learned of the talks by reading Tuesday's paper. He said the last contact Israel had with a Syrian representative was in 2003.
Dr. Alon Liel, a former director general at the Foreign Ministry, who took part in all the meetings, was quoted as saying that he had not acted the representative of anyone. Liel further declined to state whom he had informed of the meetings.
The radio quoted unnamed senior Israeli officials as stating that Israel is not holding contacts with Syria.
The officials referred to the sensitivity of the issue, in view of the opposition of Washington, Israel's main ally, to negotiations with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"Syria is trying to topple the Siniora government in Lebanon, a government which the United States is trying to aid," the radio quoted one official as saying. "Syria streams terror elements to Iraq, where they operate against the United States military, Syria fosters [Damascus-based Hamas leader] Khaled Meshal, it transfers arms to Hezbollah, hosts headquarters of terror organizations, supports Hamas, and, in general, undermines any attempt to reach a [peace] agreement
A figure described as a very senior official in the office of then-prime minister Ariel Sharon was quoted as saying that "there was no reports to Sharon, there were no reports to his office, there was no connection between Sharon and Alon Liel, this never happened."
"This is absolute nonsense."
See post 43 and 54
It is as we suspected. Thanks.
Is the agreement for 7 years?
Am Haaretz' report is pure shi'ite..
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