MATTI FRIEDMAN JERUSALEM Israel will not withdraw from the entire Golan Heights in return for a peace deal with Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top policy adviser said yesterday, rejecting Syria's key demand for an agreement with Israel.

MATTI FRIEDMAN
JERUSALEM

Israel will not withdraw from the entire Golan Heights in return for a peace deal with Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top policy adviser said yesterday, rejecting Syria's key demand for an agreement with Israel.

The two countries could split the territory, suggested Uzi Arad, Netanyahu's national security adviser in comments printed in the Haaretz newspaper. He said Israel must remain on the Golan Heights to a depth of several miles and cannot withdraw in full, even in return for a peace agreement.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 war and annexed the territory in 1981, a move never internationally recognised. Syria has always maintained that peace will be possible only if Israel withdraws from the Heights.

Syrian forces used the strategic plateau to shell nearby Israeli communities before 1967, and Israel fears they will once again become vulnerable should the Heights be ceded. Israeli officials also argue that holding the area gives Israel early warning of Syrian military moves and a buffer zone in case of attack.

The area is also home to crucial water sources, a profitable Israeli winery, and Israeli settlements with about 18,000 residents. About 17,000 Druse Arabs loyal to Syria also live there.