In a speech opening Saturday’s foreign ministers’ meeting of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference in Damascus, Syrian leader Bashar Assad called Israel the “greatest obstacle” to Middle East peace and warned that further failure in peace negotiations would lead to war. Assad said he considers peace as a “strategic goal that must be reached one day,” and reiterated that peace must include regaining Arab territories held by Israel, such as the Golan Heights.
While Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said he would not return the Golan Heights - captured from Syria in 1967 - he indicated that he is open to restarting peace talks. The refusal to return the territory led Assad to say recently that didn’t think Israel’s government under Netanyahu is a good peace partner. Indirect peace negotiations mediated by Turkey were suspended by Syria in December over the Gaza war.