The European Union supports Israel surrendering the Golan without a fight. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana announced March 14 that the EU would like to help Syria regain the Golan “as much as possible.”

The timing of these comments should concern Israelis. Syria has been amassing weapons systems close to its border with Israel. Israeli military commanders reported last week that Syria has deployed between 1,000 and 3,000 missiles and rockets since last September. The Jerusalem Post calls such actions “clear preparations for war” (March 15).

Earlier this month, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad met with the Iranian defense minister, Mustafa Muhammad Najjar, at a summit in Damascus that linked the Syrian and Iranian militaries. Najjar stated, “We consider the capability of the Syrian defensive forces as our own and believe that expansion of defensive ties would … help deal with the threats of the enemies” (ibid.). He then added that Iran “offers all of its defense capabilities to Syria.”

While it is bolstering its military efforts along the border, Syria is also shoring up its diplomatic front. On March 12, Syrian Minister of Information Mohsen Belal said restoring Syrian sovereignty over the Golan Heights was “inevitable” and that his country was working toward that end in accordance with international legitimacy, Security Council resolutions, and the “land for peace” principle.

The international community isolated Syria after the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. But for the first time since then, early last week the United States and the EU sent officials to visit Syria in hopes of gaining Syrian cooperation to ease tensions in Lebanon and Iraq. Syria also participated in the Baghdad Security Conference, which was attended by Iraq’s neighbors and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Being treated with this type of respect from the international community, Syria can be bolder in asking for support in achieving its goal of regaining the Golan.

Although the Israeli left is pressuring the government to open negotiations with Syria over surrendering the Golan, some officials expressed outrage over the EU’s support of Syria regaining control of the Golan Heights. Knesset member Yisreal Katz told reporters, “There is no chance Israel will retreat from the Golan Heights …. The Golan Heights are an inseparable part of the State of Israel and are essential for its security and defense.”

History backs Katz’s assessment of the Golan. Before the 1967 Six Day War, Syria used the strategic plateau to launch almost daily artillery and sniper attacks on the Israelis below. Syria also tried to divert water originating in the Golan Heights away from feeding Israel’s main water sources.

Other reasons some Israeli officials are unwilling to turn over control of the Golan include Syria’s support and harboring of Palestinian terrorist groups. Two such groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, maintain their international headquarters in Damascus. Then there is Syria’s staunch alliance with Iran—whose leaders have expressed a desire to wipe Israel off the map.

Israel is in a precarious situation. The war Israel waged with Arabs this past summer ended in a stalemate and emphatically swung international opinion against Israel. A war with Syria would most likely end the same way. But even if Syria does not pursue its military option, it may be successful in motivating the appeasing powers of the West to put pressure on Israel to simply give up the Golan Heights for the promise of peace.

For more information on where this land-for-peace principle will lead Israel, read “Israel’s Bleeding Wound.”