Syrian American Ibrahim Suleiman briefed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this afternoon on the prospects of a peace agreement between Israel and Syria. Suleiman chaired secret talks between the two nations over the last few years, but the meetings ended after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hizbullah. Although Syria was not directly involved in the war last August, it is believed Hizbullah and Hamas could not have carried out their attacks on Israel without the support of President Bashar Assad. Israeli newspaper Haaretz published details of the meetings earlier in the year, which it was believed would end the possibility of both sides coming to any sort of agreement. Suleiman is once again advocating that the secretive talks resume, well away from the gaze of the mainstream media. He believes peace between Israel and Syria is possible within six months, but that Israel must be the one to make the first move...

Quote: ""Why should Assad make the first gesture to Israel? He is not occupying Israeli land; it is Israel that is occupying Syrian land," said Suleiman. He also warned against an Israeli offensive, saying that although Syria was not planning to wage war on Israel, the country would defend itself at any cost should Israel decide to attack Syria. "Syria is not planning to attack Israel… but make no mistake, if Israel attacks Syria, Syria will defend itself. Suleiman claimed that because the IDF was "humiliated last summer," chances for a campaign against Syria were high, in order to restore the country's military pride.

In this regards I believe Suleiman has got it drastically wrong. While Israel is occupying what was formerly "Syrian land", Israel was not the one to start that war. If Syria had not attacked Israel in 1967, Israel would not now be occupying "Syrian land". Why do so many people have such a short memory about this conflict? Syria is the nation that has never recognized Israel's right to exist, and Syria should be the nation to offer peace to Israel. Assad knows he cannot win a war against Israel despite the nation's failure against Hizbullah last summer, and that is the reason why Syria is not willing to "start the war" on this occasion. But Assad doesn't need to appear to start a war, he only need give the signal to some of his Islamic terrorist organizations to start putting the pressure on Israel. And that is why the chances of war between Israel and Syria are high at present, not because the "Zionist" state is planning some contrived way of regaining their credibility in the eyes of the world. Suleiman believes Syria will not attack Israel, but the Scriptures state that many Arab nations will stage an invasion of the Holy Land at a time that Israel is unprepared, and could result in the destruction of the city Damascus. Just last month it was revealed that President Jacques Chirac had given the green light for Israel to attack Damascus during the Second Lebanon War, as payment for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Harari. The report was later denied by the French government...

Quote: "French President Jacques Chirac told Israel at the start of the war in Lebanon that France would support an Israeli assault on Syria, it was reported on Sunday. Army Radio reported that in the message, which was delivered by Chirac to Israel via a secret channel, the French president suggested that Israel invade Damascus and topple the regime of Bashar Assad. In exchange, Chirac assured Israel full French support for the war. According to the message delivered from Paris, Syria was responsible for the flare up in the North and encouraged Hizbullah to attack.

Isaiah 17:1-3
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.

Source YNet News, Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem Post