The formula of "full withdrawal for full peace" remains at the heart of the present impasse in the Israeli-Syrian negotiations.

The third and final phase of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations is expected to be more difficult and intractable than the previous rounds that led to the Oslo agreements and the eventual redeployment of Israeli troops from Hebron.

Regardless of what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes, or how he may perceive the requirements for peace with Syria, there will be no peace unless the Golan Heights are returned to the Syrians.

The U.S. policy of dual containment of Iran and Iraq has run its course. Given the geopolitical changes that have swept the Middle East since the Gulf War, continuing the same policy would only destabilize our allies and undermine our strategic interests in the region.

Acting Prime Minister Peres was correct when he said Labor would be making a grave mistake in stalling peace talks with Syria while campaigning in the elections. Syria's Foreign Minister Shara responded in kind, stating that "Syria is ready for the achievement of a breakthrough in the negotiations."

The primary obstacle that stands in the way of peace between Israel and Syria is the problem of "security, both real and imagined.

Since the establishment of a Palestinian state appears to be only a matter of time, the question is how such a state might coexist with Israel. Both the Israelis and Palestinians continue to claim the same land, and both are demographically interspersed in Israel and in the territories. So far, neither Israel nor the PLO have been able to project a wide view of how a two-state solution might work. They have engaged in wishful thinking, ignoring the fact that, in the end, the final outcome of their negotiations will be determined by the realities on the ground.

Polls which show Binyamin Netanyahu's popularity soaring may serve as a pick-me-up, but sooner or later the Likud leader will have to come down to earth. While Prime Minister Rabin may be handicapped by his vacillation and lack of an ultimate solution to the Palestinian predicament, the Likud leader is unlikely to fare any better.

From the moment I arrived at Damascus Airport till the moment I left the city eight days later, I engaged every Syrian I met in a discussion about the Israeli-Syrian peace process.