Shortly before the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, the Obama administration offered an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights to the Assad regime in exchange for cutting ties with Iran and Hezbollah, the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported on Sunday.
The report, based on senior US and Syrian officials who were involved in the negotiations, said that the talks had proceeded to advanced stages and a document had already been prepared for signing. The final meeting between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hof took place on February 28, 2011, when the Arab Spring had just started to spread to Damascus.
Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Special Envoy to Syria and Lebanon Frederic Hof were involved in the talks.
The report coincides with claims made by another former US secretary of state, John Kerry, in his book Every Day Is Extra, Yisrael Hayom reported.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
When I visited Israel in 2005, our duly licensed Israeli tour guide took us to the Golan Heights and showed us where Israeli tanks scaled a steep hillside to gain control of the Heights in ’67 or ’73 (I don’t remember which). He also told us that changes in military weaponry, intelligence and strategy significantly diminished the military and strategic value of the Golan Heights in 2005, and that the Israeli military was advising the civilian government that it could give up the Golan Heights as a cheap bargaining chip in negotiations for peace.
What does Israel say? You can’t offer something that you don’t control.
Obama–no friend of Israel, ever.
Did he ever offer Manhattan back to the Native Americans?
rt:
I doubt that Obama y”sh had Israel’s encouragement of this. Obama turns out to have been one of the worst presidents in Middle East politics, essentially having become the voice of terror to crush Israel and build the terrorist regimes. So the liberal commenters here will jump up and yell about #38 billion in military aid to Israel. Calm down. Obama never encountered a terrorist he did not support or fund. And anti-Israel terror never once produced a reaction of condemnation – only a weak lame statement several days and piles of political pressure later. Obama protected the interests and passions of anti-Israel terror wherever he could.
Even without American military aid, Israel would win any war against the Arab countries. But if there would be a war, at least there was reasonable chance that Obama could gloat over Israeli casualties. Obama y”sh savored his fantasies in which he could strong arm Israel into more and more concessions, and chip away at Israeli land until wiping it off the map becomes easy. We all observed this. And, yes, Biden was part of this process and attitude. And this is a true fear of Israel. This is the core of what Trump tried to reverse, and Biden will predictably return to become an enemy to Israel, as he was during his VP days. The support from Kamala and their connections to the Squad only push the evil agenda. In contrast to Purim, the Hamans of today have not met their fate yet, and we are preparing to watch their next evil plots.
Whatever military technology exists, every square centimeter of Israeli land that is conceded is a huge threat and danger. And any politician in America who supports this pro-terror agenda should be voted out of office.
Obama probably also offered Jerusalem to the Palestinians.
huju, are you fine with over twenty thousand jews losing their homes because Obama and a tour guide think it’s a good idea?