Israel Matzav: In the axis of evil

In the axis of evil

This is way too long to really excerpt, but is worth reading. It is an account of a trip to Syria - with brief excursions to Lebanon and Jordan - by an American Jewish couple. Here's one paragraph with food for thought.

I cannot get over the vastness of Syria and how insignificant the Golan Heights should logically be to this new generation of Syrians, too young to remember their loss in 1967. How could the absence of the Golan Heights have any effect on the day-to-day lives of these hard-working, friendly (but suspicious) Syrians? I cannot imagine that the loss of the Golan has any more relevance to the average Syrian than the loss of California to the average Russian or Mexican. However, since I am afraid to talk politics, especially my own, this question remains unanswered.

The answer is obvious. 'Getting back the Golan' isn't really about getting back the Golan. It's about regaining strategic high ground from which Israel could God forbid be harassed and destroyed.

Read the whole thing.

The picture at the top is the aron hakodesh (holy ark) in the Damascus synagogue, taken by a YNet reporter who was there two and a half years ago.

Israel Matzav: In the axis of evil