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

Israel demands early warning stations on the Golan Heights following the withdrawal of its forces. Syria refuses to meet these demands. While these positions rest officially on security considerations, they are rooted deep in the national psyches of both Israel and Syria.

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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.

A comprehensive peace between Israel and the Arab states can be achieved only with Syria's full participation. Such a peace will considerably enhance regional stability, which in turn is in the best strategic interests of the United States. Thus, if stationing American troops on the Golan Heights to monitor the Israeli-Syrian borders becomes the only remaining prerequisite to peace, then the Clinton administration and the Republican Congress should accept this opportunity.

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.

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

President Clinton's decision to come to the Middle East was courageous, wise and timely. Although the visit was occasioned by the signing of the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty, it will have far-reaching implications on the Middle East's new emerging order. The cynicism that surrounds the president's motivation notwithstanding, the president has seized a historic opportunity to further Arab-Israeli peace, which is vital to American strategic interests.

Hamas's terror attack in downtown Jerusalem, its kidnapping and murder of soldier Nahshon Wachsman and Wednesday's bus bombing in the heart of Tel Aviv raise a number of daunting issues about the prospects for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.