Page 44 - Signs of the End

8 THE SIGNS OF THE END

attacked by terrorists when they go by the Arab villages or when
they traverse the open countryside? Who will patrol these areas?

Will "President" Arafat protect the Jewish settlers?
Many expressed dismay about the situation, and felt they
may eventually have to pull up stakes and move from their
homes in order to have any security for their families.

Impact on Golan Heights

The Golan Heights were not part of the current peace
agreement, but it is possible that the Israeli government is now
working in secret on an agreement with Syria, just as it was with
the Palestinians. Many Israelis are afraid that they may wake up
one morning to discover an agreement has been concluded with
Syria in which the Golan Heights has been surrendered in order
to promote peace.

As we drove into Jerusalem, we were greeted with signs on
many apartment buildings on the hillside urging support for "the
people of Golan." From 1948 to 1967, civilian Israelis were
bombarded by the Syrians from the Golan Heights overlooking
the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. There was much exposure
to sniper fire and all kinds of harassment from those hills all
during that time. When the Israelis took the Golan Heights in
the 1967 Six Day War, they pushed the Syrian army back from
the Sea of Galilee some 15 miles. Since then, except during the
Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Syrian border has been one of the
quietest borders Israel has. But Syria has maintained that it will
never make peace with Israel as long as Israel has the Golan
Heights.

Potential o f Civil War
(Arabs vs. Arabs, Jews vs. Jews, Arabs vs. Jews)

One of the most sobering sentiments we heard concerned the
prospects for some kind of multifaceted civil war. For instance,
there is the potential for trouble among the Arabs themselves.
Undoubtedly, there are many Arab Palestinians who just want to
live their lives in some semblance of peace and tranquility. They
are perfectly willing to live with their Jewish neighbors in