Give Us the Golan

By now, most of us should remember that the Golan Heights is an area about 15 miles wide that overlooks the Sea of Galilee. Syria used to occupy it for centuries and turned it into an absolute wasteland because of overgrazing and cutting down all the trees.

See map of Golan here; http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/Maps/18.+golan+heights.htm

In 1948 when Israel became a nation, the Syrians used to sit on the high points of the Golan and shoot at Jews with high powered rifles, terrorizing them.

In 1967 the Syrians joined together with other Arab forces and decided again that they were going to invade Israel, take all their land and kill every Jew as they shoved them into the sea.

God had other plans. Not only did Israel survive but they shoved Syria all the way back to Damascus. So they took this strategic territory during a defensive battle. By all rules of the world....this should be Israel's land because they gained it only after Syria gambled it. It's also important to note that the League of Nations originally planned for the Golan to be part of Israel....not Arab lands.

Syria's loss to Israel 42 years ago has been a thorn in their side that they will never forget....and they cry about losing the Golan almost every single day.

Well today is no different, and they are crying about it again;

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday warned that if Israel does not negotiate away the Golan Heights, his nation may turn to more violent methods of reclaiming the territory it once controlled.

Speaking at an Islamic economic summit in Istanbul, Assad claimed to still want to reach a peace agreement with Israel, but said that if such an agreement is not based on Israel full surrender of the Golan, then "resistance" is an option he is seriously considering.

It was not the first time Assad has threatened war should Israel not meet his precondition for peace talks by guaranteeing a full Israeli pullout from the Golan.

Israel captured the Golan during the 1967 Six Day War after Syria had used it during the previous 19 years as a launching pad for repeated invasions of and attacks on the Jewish state. In the run-up to the Six Day War, the Syrian army had massed on the Golan in preparation for yet another invasion.

In 1982, Israel officially annexed the Golan returning the territory to the lands originally promised to the Jews by League of Nations, the forerunner to the UN.

Read it here; http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=19935

What's SUPER FUNNY is that Syria, and the world, wants Israel to sit down to peace conferences without ANY preconditions. But here, Syria is saying that they won't even sit down with Israel unless Israel gives them back the Golan BEFORE THEY EVEN SIT DOWN TO NEGOTIATE!

I know the answer to this, but I must ask it again anyway; IS THE WORLD GOING INSANE??

Does Syria truly believe that they can threaten Israel?