By Rabbi Dow Marmur
JERUSALEM — Even those of us who don’t think much of Ehud Barak as a politician have high regard for his military skills and knowledge of the strategic situation. Therefore, when he says, as he did to Israel Radio recently, that Syria is signaling that it might be willing to resume peace talks, he probably knows what he’s talking about.
His statement is noteworthy because it comes at a time when the ties between Syria and Iran (and thus Hezbollah in Lebanon) seem closer than ever. On the face of it, the two Iranian warships that recently sailed through the Suez Canal for a friendly encounter with their Syrian counterparts would belie Barak’s contention. But perhaps he knows what’s behind it. Needless to say, I don’t, which allows me to speculate without the benefit of facts but with a determination to find good news in a sea of bad ones.
In view of Barak’s observation, obviously intended for the world to hear, it seems possible to assume that the Syrians are using the Iranian connection to warn Israel of the consequences of not suing for peace. Perhaps they know that, in the long run, it doesn’t pay them to remain Iran’s allies, but parading the alliance now may prompt the government of Israel to re-think its current position that Barak may be fronting.
That position, it seems, is adamant about not giving up territory. There was a time when it was thought that Jews would only object to ceding those parts of the West Bank that have strong roots in Jewish history, e.g., Hebron. However, judging by what happened when Israeli settlements were evacuated from Gaza, which has no strong historic links to Jews, and what happened thereafter with the Hamas takeover and what seems to be the continued homelessness of some of the displaced settlers, the attitudes have hardened. Chances of something similar happening in the Golan Heights – which would be the price for peace with Syria – are, therefore, much smaller. But, if I read Barak correctly, they’re by no means impossible.
It’s also legitimate to speculate that the United States would be very interested in an Israel-Syrian accord, because one of the conditions is bound to be a break with Iran and thereby also with Hezbollah. This would considerably ease the tension in the region and put Iran in its place with countless benefits for everybody else.
In the past Syria has said that it would only make peace with Israel if there’d be peace with the Palestinians. Though it’s always difficult to determine whether any Arab state actually cares for the Palestinians, despite the flowery rhetoric, if a Syrian accord would also stabilize the situation with the Palestinians even more would be gained.
This shouldn’t be understood to mean that in any peace agreement Israel is going to remove most of the settlers from the Golan or the West Bank. In the case of Golan, there used to be talk about Israel leasing it back from the Syrians and in the case of the West Bank, even the Palestinians would have to accept land adjustments that would leave most of the settlements in Israel and guarantee safety for the others.
It’s, therefore, too early to be optimistic. Speculation, as this is, isn’t fact. There’s an additional cause for caution in view of the current composition of the Israeli government. Any celebration is, therefore, far too premature. But speculation is possible. I’ve heard it said that thinking peace must come before making peace. Defense Minister Barak is helping us to do that.
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Rabbi Marmur is spiritual leader emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He now divides his year between Canada and Israel. He may be contacted at dow.marmur@sdjewishworld.com