ABSTRACT
The most dramatic moment of the Israeli election campaign in 1999 was not a clash between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger, Ehud Barak. In a discussion of Syria, Netanyahu declared that he would not "give Assad what Barak is willing to give Assad". Based on information from several sources with firsthand knowledge of the talks, it is clear that, during 1998, Netanyahu became deeply involved in a secret negotiation with Assad. Over the terms and conditions under which Israel would transfer the Golan Heights, taken from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, back to Syrian control. The American-encouraged negotiating track between Syria and Israel had stalled when Netanyahu came to office in May 1996. The Israeli team included Netanyahu; Mordechai; Uzi Arad, the prime minister's diplomatic adviser; and Danny Naveh, the Cabinet secretary. But the story of the secret Netanyahu-Assad channel has important implications in two areas: Israeli politics and the future of Syrian-Israeli relations.
