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Written sometime in 1994, true today!   PEACE TALKS WITH SYRIA DOOMED TO FAILURE By Bernard J. Shapiro http://www.freeman.org/m_online/jul99/shapiro7.htm   We should not be upset at this development. We must understand the "Alice in Wonderland" world we inhabit. When the Israel Defense Forces were slugging it out with the terrorists forces of Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, United States President Bill Clinton praised Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad for showing restraint in the face of Israeli attacks. This, despite the fact the Syria was responsible for whole escalation of violence in the area. Surely Clinton and his State Department aids know that Syria controls the territory from which the Hezbollah attack Israel. Surely they know that weapons and money for Hezbollah operations pass through Syrian controlled territory in Lebanon. And surely they know that Syria is using the violence in Lebanon to pressure Israel to make ill-advised concessions on the Golan Heights.   This ability of US and sometimes Israeli officials to modify the truth in discussions and plans for the Middle East is the central reason the Peace Talks are doomed to failure and they should be. Close observers of the Middle East were shocked when Syria was exonerated for its role in the Pan Am 103 bombing.   When Syria massacred 600 Christian soldiers (POW's with their hands tied) in Lebanon during the Persian Gulf Conflict, the media and the US State Department failed to even protest. In fact, Syria was praised and rewarded ($3 billion) for its support of Desert Storm, though its soldiers were instructed not to fire a singe shot at the Arab enemy. The Israeli negotiators have consistently failed to tell the Israeli public the truth about Syrian policy.   Assad mumbles to a western journalist (Editor's Note: In 1999 it is Patrick Seale, British author and biographer of Assad) that he might possibly, maybe, could, almost accept a Jewish entity someplace on the planet earth. The media and some Israeli officials proclaim loudly, "ASSAD READY FOR TRUE LASTING MESSIANIC PEACE WITH ISRAEL."   US Secretary of State Warren Christopher is traveling through the Middle East telling the regions leaders not to miss this opportunity for peace. It just isn't so. When real peace comes to the Middle East, we will not hear phrases like "risks for peace" or "territories for a promise of, maybe, could be peace if it snows in Houston in July". When real peace comes we will see the "Mosiach coming into the Jerusalem on a white ass." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 in 3 Israelis: Troops mustn't evacuate Golan Nov. 24, 2008 Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST One-third of the country believes it would be legitimate for soldiers to refuse orders to remove settlements from the Golan Heights, according to a poll released on Monday. The poll was carried out by Ma'agar Mohot for a conference entitled "War at home? from disengagement to the Golan Heights" that will be held Thursday at the Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee. Asked what soldiers should do if ordered in the future to evacuate Jewish settlements from the Golan Heights, 67% of the respondents who had an opinion said the soldiers should carry out the evacuation, while 33% percent said they should not. Among respondents who identified themselves as voters for right-wing parties, the number saying the soldiers should not carry out the orders reached 41%. Udi Lebel, a political scientist at Kinneret College, said this was the first time such a large percentage of the population gave legitimacy to refuse IDF orders. Lebel said that according to polls that would be presented at the conference on Thursday, opposition to withdrawal from the Golan was greater even than opposition to dividing Jerusalem. "If we are talking about a representative sample that reflects the positions of the population, and the army is a people's army, then every third soldier will oppose evacuation, and in light of this it is doubtful it would be possible to carry out a withdrawal," Lebel said. The poll also found that a majority of the population is opposed to a full withdrawal from the Golan in exchange for full peace with Syria. When asked, "in your opinion, does the Israeli government need or does it not need to agree to a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for full peace with Syria," 58% said that it does not need to agree to a withdrawal, while 27% said it did, and another 15% said it depended on the conditions and circumstances. The poll also found that 54% of the respondents said that the Golan Heights issue would either "influence" or "greatly influence" which party they decided to vote for in the upcoming elections. The telephone poll was carried out November 21-22 among 520 people, and had a 4.5% margin of error. This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1226404822719&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull