Word: damascus
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...trust Syrian intentions. Shortly after declaring independence in 1948, Israel was invaded by Syria along with five other Arab states. In the Six Day War of 1967, Israel conquered and holds to this day the strategic Golan Heights, once-Syrian territory that is a mere 35 miles from Damascus. A surprise Syrian-initiated war in 1973 on Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish day of the year no less, added to the enmity. Though peace negotiations seemed close in the 1990s, Israeli-Palestinian accords soon gained primary importance in Israel, the United States, and the rest of the Arab world...
...Since then, mistrust has only deepened. Israeli jets regularly fly over Assad’s palaces. In September, the Israeli Air Force reportedly destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor, purportedly provided by North Korea. A month ago, the Central Boycott Office in Damascus invited delegates from Arab states to redouble efforts at banning business with Israel. Damascus has been a major benefactor and weapons supplier of Hamas and Hezbollah, terrorist groups dedicated to Israel’s complete obliteration. It has allied itself with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who has explicitly called for Israel to be wiped...
...demonstrate that he is interested in peace, which would require ending Syrian support for all anti-Israel organizations and permit the Israeli flag to fly high from a potential Israeli embassy in downtown Damascus, Assad should visit the land of his mortal enemy. Only by addressing the Knesset, by visiting Yad Vashem, and by shaking hands in public with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, can he demonstrate that his talk is not mere lip service. The Israeli people no longer trust Arab leaders at their word; they must prove their credibility and desire for peace through their deeds. By taking...
...Perhaps one day Assad will realize that hearing Homat el-Diyar, the Syrian national anthem, performed by an Israeli orchestra on Israeli soil would be a greater impetus for peace than meek statements from his comfortable palace in Damascus. Perhaps the memory of Sadat’s trip will spur Assad to action. And hopefully that day will come soon...
This has been a crisis nearly three years in the making. It began with the assassination in February 2005 of Rafik Hariri, a former Lebanese Prime Minister. His death, which many Lebanese pinned on neighboring Syria, triggered mass demonstrations in Beirut which, along with U.S. pressure, forced Damascus to end its direct domination of Lebanon. A Western-backed government was elected in June...