(23 Jan 1997) English/Nat

A diplomatic campaign is taking shape to seize the momentum after Israel's withdrawal from Hebron and restart Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations.

President Clinton is expected to meet separately with the leaders of Israel, Egypt and Jordan in the coming weeks, and Israeli officials say the Israel-Syria talks will be high on the agenda.

But most of the Israeli residents of the Golan are not so eager for this aspect of the peace process to proceed - knowing that it might cost them their homes.

The Golan is a site of natural beauty, fine agricultural land, and a home for approximately 14-thousand Jews and a further 14-thousand Druze.

It's also a militarily strategic piece of land - giving whoever has control over the plateau, a clear view of Israeli towns below.

Syria insists that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraces an understanding reached with the previous Labour party government to return the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967, to Damascus.

The Israel-Syria talks, which began in 1991, stalled in February 1996.

Since Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister in May 1996, there has even been talk of renewed warfare.

The flurry of activity now reflects reinvigorated hopes for broader Mideast peace after Israel's withdrawal from most of the West Bank city of Hebron last week.

But the negotiations will be drawn out and complicated.

There is a major sticking point between the two sides - a differing in interpretation of U- N resolutions 242 and 338 that call for Israel to give up conquered land in exchange for peace.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
Q. Does that mean that you'll accept land for peace as the basis for talks.
A"No, it's not just diplomatic language. You see the point is that 242 and 338 do mention territories. We interpret what they mention differently from the Syrians, but if you're talking about land for peace, which has become a code word, for all the land that was won in the 1967 war, then obviously we do not agree to that. But on the other hand the Syrians agreed to get together with us and discuss these matters on the basis of these resolutions, despite the fact that there's a difference in the interpretation between us. What we have said repeatedly is that we would like to negotiate without any preconditions."
SUPER CAPTION: David Bar-Illan, Prime Minister's Policy Adviser

The Golan Jewish settlers who have made this place their home, feel that if settlers can remain in Hebron, why not on the Golan.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Just want to see the linkage between Hebron and Israel and what we see in the bottom line of the agreement is that people in Hebron stay living there. With a security problem, but stayed living there. Here in the Golan we will stay living here forever."
SUPERCAPTION: Avi Ze'ari, Chairman of Golan Residents' Committee

But other Golan residents feel more strongly about a possible Golan deal.

This woman living on the Golan already senses that the day is not far when she might have to leave.

But for her the pain of the Hebron deal cuts even deeper than that.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I'm certainly disappointed. For me Hebron is by some means more important than my private house in the Golan Heights, because for me Hebron stands for the roots of the nation of Israel here in this land. And once the roots are betrayed I'm afraid for the rest of the tree - personally for my private house on the Golan Heights."
SUPERCAPTION: Vox Pop, Golan resident


The Israeli military presence on the Golan is still considerable.


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