Agriculture minister Katz told the newspaper Yedioth Ahronot, ""The government decision is a response to the initiative of Syria, which said it is interested in peace..." He told Israel Radio, "It is good for everyone to know that Israel has no intention to loosen its hold on the Golan, but exactly the opposite."

Assad's announcement was a positive step. It may be insincere, and it may be motivated by attempts to counter the growing US impatience with Syrian promotion terrorism and cooperation with Saddam Hussein and his allies. However, any rumors of peace are better than threats of war.

The announcement of this plan, which aims to double the number of settlers in the Golan, can hardly be expected to be a public relations coup for Israel. The way in which it was announced was almost worse than the plan itself. Katz's outrageous statements could have been written for him by the Syrian propaganda ministry. What was he thinking? What was the government thinking? Katz was not thinking of Europe. He was not thinking of Syria. He was not thinking of the USA. Katz was thinking only of promoting his image as a right-wing superpatriot, and the government was thinking only of appeasing right-wing coalition partners.

Ami Isseroff