The United States has reportedly proposed that Israel and Syria set up early- warning stations on the Golan Heights and in northern Israel as part of security arrangements that would form part of an eventual peace agreement between the two countries.
The Israeli daily Ma’ariv said President Clinton presented the idea to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when the Israeli leader was in Washington this week.
According to the plan, Syrian soldiers would be stationed in northern Israel, while Israeli troops would be stationed in northern Israel, while Israeli troops would be stationed on the Golan.
Clinton proposed to Rabin that the Syrian and Israeli military chiefs-of-staff resume talks on a joint early-warning system, according to Ma’ariv.
Clinton’s proposal did not mention an Israeli demand that Syria downsize its army, or refer to the two sides’ dispute about the size of a demilitarized zone that would be established on either side of the border.
Rabin did not indicate whether he accepted the proposal, an Israeli official said.
But according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, Rabin gave his approval to the proposal, and the Americans were planning to present the idea to the Syrians.
Recent talks between Israel and Syria have been deadlocked over security arrangements.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit Washington next week, and U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher reportedly is planning another round of regional shuttle diplomacy soon after that in an effort to boost the stalled negotiations.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
