Representative Press Blog

Israel Violates UN Security Council by Occupying Syrian Golan Heights
Israel has been flatly refusing any negotiations.

NOAM CHOMSKY: Israel is in control of, in fact, has annexed - in violation of Security Council orders - has annexed a large part of Syrian territory, the Golan Heights. Syria is making it very clear that they are interested in a peace settlement with Israel, which would involve, as it should, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied territories.

AMY GOODMAN: Are there secret negotiations going on between Israel and Syria now?

NOAM CHOMSKY: You never know what's going on in secret, but so far Israel has been flatly refusing any negotiations. In fact, the only debate that's going on now is whether it's the United States that's pressuring Israel or Israel's pressuring the United States to prevent negotiations on the Golan Heights and, in fact, on the Occupied Territories altogether.

I mean, this is called a very contentious issue, Israel-Palestine, which is kind of surprising. It's a contentious issue only in the United States, and even not among the American population. It's a contentious issue because the US government and the Israeli government are blocking a very broad international consensus, which has almost universal support, even the majority of Americans, and which has been on the table for about thirty years, blocked by the US and Israel.
Amy Goodman Noam Chomsky 4/16/07 Democracy Now!