We've Seen This Movie Before

In case there are any lingering doubts about who is interested in peace in this region, this should clear everything up.

Israel offered Syria the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria reducing its ties to Iran. Syria, of course, has rejected the Israeli peace offering.

Israel should therefore ignore any further U.N. resolutions regarding a return to the "pre-1967" borders because there is no serious partner for Israel to make peace with--in Syria or amongst the Palestinians.

Israel attempted to comply and the Syrians swatted the offer away. This is predictable and perhaps even sensible from the Syrian perspective. They are benefiting greatly from their alliance with Iran, the rising power in the Middle East, and likely will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. They just recently reached an historic arms agreement with Russia who is once again extending her tentacles into the Middle East. Syria sees herself and her benefactors as the strong horse.

Bashar Assed has clearly wagered that he and Syria's allies (Iran, Hezbollah, etc.) have the upper hand. With the United States behaving in an intractable and irresponsible manner toward its stalwart ally, Israel, these players in the region sense weakness.

And weakness in this part of the world means war.

This is yet another Israeli gesture in a long line of gestures that has gone unappreciated by the West and been rejected by Israel's enemies. From the 1993 Oslo Accords to the 2000 Camp David Summit where Ehud Barak literally offered ninety-eight percent of the West Bank to Arafat to the 2000 Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon to the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel extends the metaphorical olive branch and receives a quite literal hand grenade.