Small piece of land could scupper Israel-Syria talks
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008Akiva Eldar; 21/5/08
The gap between the Syrian and Israeli positions lies in Damascus’ demand for an Israeli withdrawal to the July 4, 1967 lines and Jerusalem’s stance that any withdrawal must be to the international border. On the ground, this gap is just several hundred meters, but the sticking point is Syria’s demand for land reaching the north-eastern shore of the Kinneret. Unofficial contacts between the two sides via a Swiss channel, which lasted until summer 2006 and were driven by former Foreign Ministry director general Alon Liel, resulted in an agreement that the disputed area between the 1967 lines and the international border would be part of a “peace park” that would cover the entire Golan Heights. The Syrians agreed that Israelis would be able to visit the park during the day without any entry requirements.
