What are relations like today between Israel and Syria?
They’re not in state of war but not in state of peace, either. Each side is quietly preparing for the possibility of war, and Syria may reach the conclusion that war might not be a bad thing. Let’s not forget, for example, that Syria continues to supply [Lebanon’s] Hizbullah with advanced missiles. What will happen next? For now, this incident is already behind us, but the problem is in the long run. So in the coming year we can expect these seemingly small incidents occurring every now and then to gradually increase tension. We can expect deterioration, more military tension, and eventually someone on one side or the other could decide to lead into war. If you follow Syrian discourse in the media you can feel how hostile it is. Israel has an interest in preserving the status quo due to its hold on the Golan Heights, but Syria is less interested in this and may want to break it. So far the Bush administration has kept quiet about this. The United States responded in the same way as Isr
