The journalistic bombshell of the week is Tuesday’s report in Ha’aretz that Israelis and Syrians formulated a series of “understandings for a peace agreement” in a series of secret meetings in Europe between September 2004 and July 2006.
According to the article, the agreement would include:
- Israel’s withdrawal from the Golan Heights to the Pre-1967 lines.
- A park to be set up for joint use as a buffer zone by Israelis and Syrians along the Sea of Galilee.
- Israel continued control over the use of the waters of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.
- Syria’s agreement to end its support for Hezbollah and Hamas and to distance itself from Iran.
Inevitably, after the article hit, official government sources in Israel and Syria vehemently denied any such meetings ever took place. Yeah right…
Ah, the tortured dance of diplomacy! Still, in this increasingly polarized world of ours, it’s heartening to know there are still those those who are endeavoring to keep the channels of communication open. Thank God for low-level diplomats…
Here’s the full text of the document drafted during the secret talks. As always, check out Joshua Landis’ blog SyriaComment for ongoing analysis about this increasingly critical part of the Middle East world.
