Syria

Released to Syria after he claimed he illegally entered Israel for medical treatment. Illegal border crossing is a crime in Israel. Most countries jail criminals to avoid repetition.

Syria denounced Abe Suleiman as “strange” and “non-credible”

Security Council’s Igor Ivanov relayed to Tzipi Livni that Syria-Israeli war is likely. Russia supplies Syria modern weapons.

Information Minister Bilal demanded that Israel accepts Saudi plan. Russia recently warned Israel of impending war with Syria. Bilal’s mention of “resistance” suggests terrorist rather than conventional war. Syria could use Hezbollah’s tactics and shower Golans with Scud missiles while countering Israeli reprisal with Russian anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.

Israeli attack against Syria being completely unnecessary and implausible, Syria beefs up its defensive capabilities to inhibit Israeli reprisals for low-level attacks on Golans. Syria is expected to launch Hezbollah-type massive rockets attacks on Golans.

conducts the largest military buildup at the Israeli border since Yom Kippur war. Syria purchased and manufactured huge numbers of SCUD missiles, kept in underground bunkers, and Russian anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles. Israeli army made no counter-move at all. Meridor, Israeli rep in the US, refreshingly reassured Syria that Israel wants peace.

offers Israel peace talks with no realistic agenda, accumulates military forces at the border with Israel.
Israeli officials split about Syria’s intentions. National Security Council’s Mizrahi cautiously suggests Syria wants peace. Military Intelligence’s Biadatz believes the Syrian peace initiative is for real. Mossad’s Meir Dagan dismisses Syria’s overtures as meant to buy it time and break the international isolation.
Syria assembled more troops at the border with Israel than at any time since the Yom Kippur War. The intentions are clear.

Wolfgang Jilke of the UN’s forces (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights asserts Syrian buildup doesn’t exceed the agreed-to limits. Jilke confirms that Syria repairs border fortifications and increased the number of troops to 40% of the maximum allowed level.
Beyond the UNDOF-controlled area, Syria conducts large-scale military exercises, purchased large quantities of advanced anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, and manufactures SCUD’s that target every town in Israel.
Days before the 1967 war, Egypt – just like Syria now – observed the cease-fire limits on the military presence in border areas. Syria can unleash thousands of missiles at Israel any moment.

Foreign Ministry memo evaluate Assad’s peace overtures as genuine, warns of a war if Israel rejects Syrian initiative. Meanwhile, Syria continues arming Hamas and Hezbollah and building its military forces along the border with Israel. Militarily, Syria is only capable of waging Hezbollah-type guerrilla and rocket war against Israel while defending itself with Russian anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.

near the Golan Heights. Speaking to Syrian parliament, Assad insisted on “land for peace” approach: Israel gives away land and Syria grants Israel peace. Alternatively, Israel can occupy Damascus and trade it for peace with Syria.
Assad also refused to submit any Syrian citizens to jurisdiction of the international tribunal set in Lebanon to investigate Hariri’s assassination.

Monjer Motsley, Hafez al-Assad’s associate, says Syrian intelligence blew the Mossad spy Eli Cohen’s cover when he couldn’t recite the five pillars of Islam. Mossad sent inexperienced operative Eli Cohen to Syria without teaching him basic things about his legend of a Muslim businessman. Motsley claims Assad immediately spotted Cohen’s Jewish facial features. Syrians hanged Cohen in 1965.

The US State Department’s Rice opposed to Israeli talks to Syria which “destabilizes the region” by channeling weapons and terrorists to Iraq. Rice ignored that it was herself and Bush who destabilized the region by destroying Saddam’s stable dictatorship.
Olmert prepares for unofficial talks with Syria.

Syria refused to shed its national sovereignty by cooperating with the UN tribunal established to investigate assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri. There is – nor could be – any firm evidence to connect Syria to the assassination, though Syria clearly benefited from Hariri’s death.
Israel and the US likewise refused cooperation with International Criminal Court because of its prejudice and encroacing on Israeli and American national sovereignty.

The commission is comprised of Livni, Peres, Peretz, Binyamin ben Eliezer, Eli Yishai, and Lieberman. The bunch of leftists and a demagogue will decide whether Syria genuinely wants peace or Israel should gear for war with Syria, expected in August.
Syria stands no chance in conventional war with Israel, and could only be interested in Hezbollah-type war of missiles. Syria’s president Assad, isolated by the US, fears Israelki preemptive strike, and may opt for limited operation in the Golan Heights.
Israeli political establishment is basically ready to give away the Golan Heights for peace with Syria.

Israeli Minister, former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz expects diplomatic pressure against Iran to work out by the end of 2007. By that time, Iran will amass enough weapon-grade uranium for 2-3 nuclear bombs.
Rice presses Israeli government to abstain from peace talks with Syria which transports guerrillas and weapons to Iraq. Iraq, however, is not Israel’s business. Syria is ready to a peace deal in return for Golan Heights, and Israeli politicians generally accept to give away the Golan Heights to Syria. Regardless of the peace deal, Syria will support Hezbollah and Hamas. Age-old Syrian anti-Semitism is unlikely to be resolved by a peace treaty. Syria is the oldest surviving enemy of Israel, fighting Israel since antiquity.

US State Department lashed against Israeli peace overtures with Syria, suggested instead that Israel concetrates on the peace process with Palestinians. US needs to put pressure on Syria to force it to abandon support for Iraqi insurgents. The Iraqi insurgency, supported by Syria and Iran, is rudimentary important for Israel who is threatened by war with Syria over the Golan Heights.

Meretz leftists demand that Israel negotiates with Assad and gives away the Goland Heights, rather than attempts addressing Syrian people. Arab members of Knesset condemned Farid Ghadry for betraying Syria by communicating with Israel.

Syria agrees to grant Israel a peace treaty that exists only on paper in return for the Golan Heights which Israel annexed in 1967 while repelling Syrian aggression.
Syria, at peace with Lebanon, continues supporting Hezbollah in the effort to subvert Lebanese sovereignty.
Israel conducts secret negotiations with Syria contrary to the US prohibition.

UN Security Council extends the peacekeeping mission at Israel-Syria border, demands that Israel and Syria negotiate peace deal. US opposes the peace talks.
After Israel signed peace treaty with Egypt, IDF grew in size and the Egyptian army has also upgraded itself. There are virtually no economic relations between Israel and Egypt; Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood supports Hamas.
Syria, though at peace with Lebanon, actively subverts that state through Hezbollah. Israel will have to give away the Golan Heights to Syria to sign a worthless peace treaty.

IDF conducts threatening exercises on the Golan Heights. Syrian media claims Israel prepares for an attack. Suspicious of each other, both sides escalate military preparedness and consider preemption.
A successful war with Syria is Olmert’s only chance of winning the elections. Olmert similarly launched the Second Lebanon War to distract Israeli public from the political mismanagement.
The US accuses Syria of aiding Iraqi querrillas, and would love Israel to attack Syria.