'Talks between Israel, Syria possible'

1. 'Talks between Israel, Syria possible'
The Jerusalem Post
5/14/08
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1210668636448&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

2. Turkey, a country in the Middle East, is currently the mediator between two conflicting countries, Israel and Syria. The prime minister of Turkey, Ali Babacan, said Wednesday that there have been efforts made by Turkey for the past year to organize "peace talks" between the counties. He says that there has not been direct contact between the nations and that this will take more time. Babacan said that if progress is made between the two there is a possibility of meeting in the attendance of Turkish peacekeepers, but currently Turkey will proceed as a mediator to both sides. These statements are the first of some positive talks about the issue in a long time.
Tension continues to rise between the two enemies over a recent attack on Syria made by Israel at the site of nuclear reactor being built by Syria and North Korea. Tensions began in about 1967 when Israel took over an area called Golan Heights during the Six Day War. The latest peace talks were held in 2000, but fell through due to the particulars of Israel's planned removal from the area. Syria wants the land fully returned to them but Israel wants to remain rulers of a strip of land near the Sea of Galilee. This is where Israel receives its necessary water supply, and having possession of the land insures the country of this water. Israel also demands that Syria stop support of terror groups.

3. Reactions
A. This article directly relates to the AP theme, Impact of interaction and among and within major societies. The two societies interacting in this specific situation are Israel and Syria. Turkey has stepped in to mediate between the two societies because of the negative impacts of the societies interacting. This interference will ultimately benefit the rest of the world as well as the two conflicting societies long-term.
B. The historical background of the issue is clearly stated in the article itself. The issue began in about 1967 during the Six Day War. This war was fought between Israel and many of its Middle Eastern neighbors, like Syria. Attacks were staged on surrounding countries as a result of previous attacks. As a result of the war, Israel conquered the region of Golan Heights, which previously belonged to Syria.
C. This article was written by the Associated Press. There is no indication of age, gender, or nationality of the writer. The article was written from Turkey for an Israel-based newspaper so there is a possibility the writer is Israeli.
D. There is definitely possibility for some bias in this author's point of view. If the author is in fact Israeli his opinion could be in favor of Israel. He might be over exaggerating the issue to make Syria look like the "bad guys" and Israel look good. He is also a writer and could simply be over exaggerating to make the issue more interesting and to attract readers.
E. In order to have a better understanding of the issue as a whole, hearing from representatives of the two conflicting countries would be helpful. Hearing from someone on the Israeli side and Syrian side could help me understand their points of view better. This would tell me what is really happening between the two countries. This would help me as a reader get to the real reasons why there is a feud and what both sides are willing to do to solve it.
F. I chose this article because I find it very controversial. There is a lot of "he-said she-said" going on in this situation. Syria does something to Israel and then Israel fights back. There is a continuous back-and-forth action going on between the two countries in regard to attacks. I also chose it because there is substantial historical background to the issue. I find the historical evidence and support to the issue very interesting. The Six Day War is something I did not know anything about and I found it to be very interesting.