Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday evening rejected a report claiming that Israel considered an American proposal whereby it would relinquish the territory of Mount Dov and the Shebaa Farms to Syria in return for Syria suspending its claims to the Golan Heights.
"The report claiming that Israel is considering ceding Mount Dov is totally fake news," said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Kan 11 News had reported that the American initiative was proposed as part of the negotiations between the two countries, which were stopped after Sunni militias and government forces massacred Syrian Druze residents of the Suweida region. However, the report stated that the sides are not ruling out the renewal of talks in the future.
The report also noted that Israel examined the internal political feasibility of such a deal, which would require either a national referendum or a majority of Knesset members.
Kan 11 News cited a source close to the Syrian government who did not rule out a connection between the issue of Mount Dov and that of the Golan Heights after the two countries reach a security agreement. However, he denied that the issue was being discussed as part of the negotiations for a security agreement.
The source did not rule out the possibility that the issue of Mount Dov could be linked to the question of the Golan Heights later on. Another source familiar with the negotiations confirmed to Kan 11 News that the matter is not currently on the agenda and will only be raised for discussion at a later stage.
A report on Monday on i24NEWS stated that the Trump administration is actively working to broker a preliminary security understanding between Israel and Syria ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September.
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack later stated that Israel and Syria are not close to signing an agreement.
Speaking to Axios’ Barak Ravid, Barrack said, "They have mutual intent and desire but at the moment, there is still more work to do.”