Israel denied media reports that the United States had mediated secret contacts with Damascus during the freeze of formal negotiations. Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s office also denied that Israel had agreed to return the Golan Heights during the secret talks. The Israeli daily Ma’ariv and New York Post newspapers reported this week that the United States had mediated a secret peace deal between Israel and Syria.
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.