“The idea of annexing the territories has been living among us for 45 years. No rightist government has ever implemented it, and no leftist government has ever rejected it. In December 1981, six months after the withdrawal from Sinai, Menachem Begin tried to define the border. He annexed the Golan Heights and drew harsh criticism from the world. Reagan’s America created a crisis, but it is in the nature of crises to end. The Golan Heights, however, remained annexed with a clear border.

Since then some prime ministers discussed a compromise on the Golan Heights despite the sovereignty. Netanyahu, for instance, did it twice. When the area in question has a small population, annexation is mainly a declaration. The current situation in Syria proves that despite Washington’s ire, Begin was right. It was better to annex the Golan than to achieve a temporary peace.”

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