Coverage of Israel Remains Hostile

Syrian media continue to be highly critical of Israel despite announcements by officials in both countries that they are moving ahead with peace negotiations.



In an article published on May 1, Kassioun newspaper picked up reports from Israeli and Iranian media that Tel Aviv was holding military exercises on the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 war.



Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has reportedly offered to return the Golan in exchange for peace.



Kassioun reported that Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak, who oversaw the exercises, said the Golan Heights were part of Israel and that the military was prepared for war. The newspaper also quoted Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz as saying Iran might move into the Golan if Israel relinquished the area.



The state-run SANA news agency ran a brief item on May 7 reporting that President Bashar al-Assad had received a call from Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is acting as a mediator in the nascent talks process. The agency reported merely that the two discussed peace in the Middle East and Iraq.