“Syrian President Bashar Assad is fighting for the survival of his regime against a wave of protests that began in Daraa, and on the weekend reached the outskirts of Damascus and Latakia. On the one hand, Assad is using force against the protesters – dozens have been killed by security forces – but on the other hand, he is scattering promises of reforms that are supposed to calm people down and save his regime.

The uprising in Syria presents a challenge for Israel. For the first time since the revolutionary awakening began in the Arab world, the protests have reached a neighboring party to the Arab-Israeli conflict that has tense deterrent relations with Israel and a substantial military force. Both the current Syrian president and his father, Hafez Assad, sought a “strategic balance” with Israel during their rule. In the past 20 years they conducted sporadic peace talks with Israel, intended to restore the Golan Heights to Syria and to establish new security-related and civilian relations between the two countries.”

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