In an interview broadcast on Voice of Israel Radio on Wednesday morning, MK Shteinitz (Likud) expressed his view of reports that Likud party chairman Binyamin Netanyahu said he would be willing to negotiate with Syria "under certain conditions." Shteinitz, who is a former chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said:
"Syria is the number one supporter of terrorism in the world," Shteinitz said, explaining that Damascus supports terrorism not only against Israel, but within the territory of all of its neighboring states.
"That is true. Incidentally, the only place that has an agreement which Syria respects is the ceasefire agreement on the Golan," Shteinitz said, adding that "it is hard to believe that we can achieve a better peace from Syria than warlike relations that it has with Jordan or Lebanon or Turkey or even Iraq, with the former [ruler] Saddam Hussein, with ups and downs - from near unification and cooperation, to war or the brink of war and terrorist activity."
During a press conference on Wednesday with his Norwegian colleague, Jens Stoltenberg, in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that recent talk of negotiations by Syrian officials are "false pretenses" that Israel does not accept.
"Syria continues to support terror in Iraq, is collaborating with the Iranian president and is sparing no effort to topple the government of [Fouad] Siniora [in Lebanon]," Olmert said, also noting Assad's ongoing support for the Hizbullah and Hamas terrorist organizations. He claimed that Syria has prevented progress in negotiations to obtain the release of kidnapped IDF corporal Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas.
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These are the conditions. First, Syrian willingness or Syrian recognition of the Israeli presence in the Golan Heights - Israel cannot relinquish the Golan. It is the water that we drink.Beyond this, MK Shteinitz reiterated another condition laid out by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and MK Netanyahu, among others: that Syria cease its support of anti-Israel terrorism.
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What I require from the Syrians is recognition of the fact they will not receive the Golan Heights back, or at least willingness to compromise on this issue. As long as this does not exist, we will not relinquish the security of Israel or our water.
"Syria is the number one supporter of terrorism in the world," Shteinitz said, explaining that Damascus supports terrorism not only against Israel, but within the territory of all of its neighboring states.
Which of its neighbors at all has had a stable peace with Syria over the decades? Turkey, who just six years ago was on the brink of war with Syria? Lebanon, which Syrian conquered and is trying to reconquer - and they probably murdered its prime minister? Jordan, which Syrian invaded and only in the 90s, set four artillery divisions on the border? And before his death, King Hussein blamed Syria for all the terrorism in Jordan.On the other hand, Shteinitz acknowledged the accuracy of the interviewer's observation that Syria has maintained a ceasefire agreement with Israel in the Golan Heights since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
"That is true. Incidentally, the only place that has an agreement which Syria respects is the ceasefire agreement on the Golan," Shteinitz said, adding that "it is hard to believe that we can achieve a better peace from Syria than warlike relations that it has with Jordan or Lebanon or Turkey or even Iraq, with the former [ruler] Saddam Hussein, with ups and downs - from near unification and cooperation, to war or the brink of war and terrorist activity."
During a press conference on Wednesday with his Norwegian colleague, Jens Stoltenberg, in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that recent talk of negotiations by Syrian officials are "false pretenses" that Israel does not accept.
"Syria continues to support terror in Iraq, is collaborating with the Iranian president and is sparing no effort to topple the government of [Fouad] Siniora [in Lebanon]," Olmert said, also noting Assad's ongoing support for the Hizbullah and Hamas terrorist organizations. He claimed that Syria has prevented progress in negotiations to obtain the release of kidnapped IDF corporal Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas.
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