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Israel Would Leave Golan: Syria

Israelis willing to trade disputed territory for peace, Damascus told

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 23, 2008 4:55 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Israel is willing to return the Golan Heights to Syria in return for peace, Reuters reports. A Syrian minister said in a TV interview that the Israeli message was relayed through Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, set to visit Syria this weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said last week he was working on a "significant move" toward peace.

The Heights have been a bone of contention since Israel seized them in 1967, and the last set of talks broke down in 2000 in a stalemate over the scope of Israeli withdrawal. And the Golan is hardly the only stumbling block to peace, officials said, noting Israeli objections to Syria's support of Islamist groups in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Tourists pose for a picture on an outlook on Mount Bental in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights near the border with Syria in this 2007 file photo.
Tourists pose for a picture on an outlook on Mount Bental in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights near the border with Syria in this 2007 file photo.   (AP Photo/Yaron Kaminsky)
An Associated Press map shows the area of contention between Israel and Syria.
An Associated Press map shows the area of contention between Israel and Syria.   (AP Photo)
Tourists look towards Syria from an outlook on Mount Bental in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in this 2007 file photo.
Tourists look towards Syria from an outlook on Mount Bental in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in this 2007 file photo.   (AP Photo/Yaron Kaminsky)
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About the Golan (Wikipedia-style)
Wikipedia

... and from the BBC
BBC

Syria ready for more talks, official says
Haaretz (Israel)

 
Israel • Syria • Ehud Olmert • Recep Tayyip Erdogan • Arab Israeli conflict • Golan Heights • Mideast peace

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