Israel will not resume Turkish-mediated peace talks with Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Wednesday. Any new negotiations with Syria must be direct ones, he said.
"We have enormous respect and great appreciation for the Turkish efforts. But they have not succeeded -- not because of the Turks," Ayalon told the Reuters news agency in an interview. The decision stems from "Syrian intransigence," he said.
Asked if the Israeli government was ruling out a return to the mediated talks, Ayalon replied: "Correct."
"We have just benefited from the experience that shows that proximity talks did not work," he added. "If
Asked if the Israeli government was ruling out a return to the mediated talks, Ayalon replied: "Correct." 
they (Syria) are really serious on peace, and not just a peace process which may serve them to extricate them from international isolation, if they are really serious, they will come and sit with us."
Syria and Turkey have suggested a return to the mediated talks, which were started when Ehud Olmert was Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has offered Syria direct talks without preconditions. This is seen as a reference to Syria's demand that Israel commit in advance to ceding the Golan Heights. Netanyahu, like Olmert, insists that Syria distance itself from Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas.
Before Netanyahu was elected, there was widespread concern among nationalist Israelis that he would continue talks started by Olmert and eventually cede the Golan Heights to Syria, despite Netanyahu’s promises to the contrary. Minister Dan Meridor called for accelerated talks with Syria as he rejoined the Likud Knesset list, fueling pre-election speculation that such a move was in the works. For the time being, however, it would appear that concern regarding a possible Golan pullout was unjustified.