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America and Israel Warn Syria

Last week, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad spoke with a German magazine and said that "Syria wants peace with Israel, but is prepared for war." Mr. Assad said that after decades of trying to reach a settlement with Israel, the years have failed to produce peace on Damascus` terms. That Israel`s terms have not yet been met either was not apparently a concern for the Allawite dictator. In response to the interview, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz told a forum of peace organizations in Tel Aviv that Assad "communicates double messages."

Peretz, an avowed dove, said the Jewish state cannot "ignore threats of war, and we will deploy our forces according to the reality and the threats." And the world, according to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, is "going to have to start looking at further sanctions on Syria if it is to continue on the path it`s currently on." Says Rice, "I think that the Syrians look as if they`ve made their choice and their choice is to associate with extremist forces in Iran."

Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told the U.N. General Assembly recently that the Middle East`s woes are the direct result not of authoritarian Arab regimes like the one he represents, or the exhortations to violence and hatred in Middle Eastern mosques, but rather the result of American policies toward the Arabs and Washington`s support of Israel. "We all end up paying the price when the decision makers in Washington believe that they know better, and are in a better position to understand and grasp the needs and circumstances of the Arabs," Moallem said.