(Jerusalem Post) Matthew R.J. Brodsky - During Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Washington he asked the U.S. to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel captured 2/3 of the Golan territory from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. The strategic highlands represented less than 1% of Syrian land, yet under their control it served as a forward position for Syrian artillery to regularly shell northern Israel and for Palestinian Fatah to launch regular cross-border raids. The risk of returning the Golan Heights should be measured against the fact that Iran is actively setting up another forward command along Israel's border with Syria. Israelis are acutely aware that the reward for giving up land has been the shower of rockets and mortars from Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Had Israel accepted Syria's previous territorial demands, Iran, Hizbullah or ISIS would be threatening Israel today from their perch along the Golan plateau. At this point, Israel has returned 80% of the land it gained in the 1967 war. Syria has missed the boat; the ship has already sailed. Regarding the Palestinians, the depth of the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank may only match the depth of peace they are offered. The writer is former director of policy at the Jewish Policy Center in Washington.
2017-03-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive