Science, Culture and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadele. (Dan Keinan)by Haaretz Service - Oct 27, 2007
Science, Culture and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadele said Friday that Israel is ready to pay the price of peace with Syria, which he described as a withdrawal from Golan Heights in exchange for peace with the entire Arab world.
Majadele made the comments to the Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Rai in an interview published Friday.
The minister said that, despite recent tensions, "Syria still sees peace as a strategic goal, and is closer with Israel than with Iran. President Assad knows quite well that the solution is not far away."
Majadele also made remarks about the expected Middle East peace conference in Annapolis next week, saying that the success of the summit is a mutual interest for all sides.
"Israel will not be able to normalize relations with Arab nations without paying the price of anything related to the Palestinian issue," he said.
He reiterated that he doesn't rule out the possibility that "the fate of the settlements in the West Bank will be the fate of the settlements from the Gaza Strip."
Coalition Chairman MK Eli Aflalo said in response that the Golan Heights is an inseparable part of Israel, and that the communities in the Golan Heights will remain in place.
He said that Majadele's remarks do not reflect the government or its leaders' policy.
National Religious Party Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev said his party would file a no-confidence vote, saying it cannot turn a blind eye while the government expresses such views. He emphasized that Majadele's comments are far from being part of the Israeli consensus.
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