The Golan and Lebanon

For years, pseudo-strategists claimed the fact that the Israel-Syria border on the Golan was the quietest Israeli border was proof that Hafez Assad could be trusted to keep an agreement. They conveniently (or stupidly) failed to notice that Lebanon is occupied by Syria, and that the Iranian-backed Hizballah in the south, supplied overland through Damascus, is the proxy by which Syria attacks Israel. Having lately noticed, they have concluded that if Israel wants a quiet border with Lebanon, it must satisfy Syria by withdrawing from the Golan Heights.

For years, pseudo-strategists claimed the fact that the Israel-Syria border on the Golan was the quietest Israeli border was proof that Hafez Assad could be trusted to keep an agreement. They conveniently (or stupidly) failed to notice that Lebanon is occupied by Syria, and that the Iranian-backed Hizballah in the south, supplied overland through Damascus, is the proxy by which Syria attacks Israel. Having lately noticed, they have concluded that if Israel wants a quiet border with Lebanon, it must satisfy Syria by withdrawing from the Golan Heights. The corollary conclusion is that if Israel gives up the Golan, Syria will become a peaceful neighbor.

Rewarding Syrian aggression against Israel through Lebanon is unacceptable. The Golan is not a bargaining chip to be spent in the acquisition of an ill-defined “peace.” Too small to provide strategic depth, it is a security asset by virtue of its height and command of the terrain below on both the Syrian and the Israeli sides. Israel holds it legally and legitimately as the result of two defensive wars following years of Syrian aggression. Its disposition should be determined by Israel’s military and political requirements. Syria had the Golan Heights from 1948 to 1967 and was anything but a peaceful neighbor.

The onus here is on Syria, not on Israel.

Syria is the aggressor, both against Israel and against Lebanon. Syria is on the U.S. State Department’s lists of terrorism supporting states and drug exporting states. Syria has ever-warmer relations with Iran and Iraq, North Korea and China. Syria is a dictatorial police state – with a president-for-life; a pervasive internal security apparatus; controlled press; censored mail and electronic media; lack of elementary political rights; restrictions on travel inside Syria for foreigners and outside Syria for Syrians. Nearly bankrupt, Syria nevertheless spends heavily on the acquisition of ballistic missiles and has an active chemical weapons program.

JINSA does not express the view that Israel should never withdraw from the Golan. It is our opinion, however, that whatever quiet reigns on Israel’s northern border is the direct result of the IDF holding the high ground 25 miles from Damascus. And it is our view that any withdrawal should be contingent on a wide variety of changes in Syrian behavior, including democratization and the institution of political freedoms – which presently appear to be beyond the capacity of the Syrian dictatorship.

This is not necessarily a permanent state of affairs, however, and we believe the Israeli government has been and remains wise to continue to engage Syria in discussion.

The Clinton administration has been loudly pushing for Syrian-Israel “peace” talks and hoping the new Israeli government will be amenable to ceding land. We know history is not their strong suit, but it was only in 1993 that then-Secretary of State Christopher stood atop the Golan Heights and said, “Now I understand.”