DMITRIY FELDMAN SVARSHIK
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essay
A roadside
landmark
in the Golan
Heights
Heightened Defense
Israeli control of the Golan yields a broader benefit.
I
Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967. In that
t’s a ridge for the ages, a bulwark
war, Israel pre-emptively thwarted an
against Islamist tyranny from the
impending Arab attack. When Syria con-
north and a vista providing sweeping
trolled the Golan, Syrian snipers
views of upper Israel.
could take aim at Galilean farm-
Arguably, the existence of
ers or kibbutz dwellers below.
Israel, America’s staunchest
In 1974, following the Yom
Middle East friend, hinges in
Kippur War of 1973, an Israeli-
part on Israeli control of the
Syrian ceasefire effectively left
Golan Heights. The highlands
most of the Golan under Israeli
are more militarily strategic than
control.
ever given Iran’s strengthened
In 1981, Israel unilaterally
presence in Lebanon and Syria.
extended
civilian law to its area
Through successive adminis-
ROBERT SKLAR
of the Golan, a sort of annexa-
trations, the U.S. has viewed the
Contributing
tion despite the international
Jewish state as custodian of the
Editor
community branding the area
Golan with no diplomatic cov-
Israeli-occupied Syrian territory
enant to it. Reports indicate the
subject to diplomatic negotiation. Israeli
White House, in response to changing
and U.N. peacekeeping forces continue to
times “on the ground,” is contemplating
patrol the mountainside.
recognition of Jerusalem’s Golan sover-
While Syria, seven years into a brutal
eignty. The net effect: Products manufac-
civil war, vows to retake the Golan, Prime
tured or grown on the Golan would be
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bristles at
considered “made in Israel” by the U.S.,
the suggestion Israel should “come down”
not in Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.
from the Heights. The Golan must never
Such American recognition would
become a diplomatic pawn. The regional
have the potential to spur wider interna-
neighborhood is starkly different from
tional support for Israel’s self-demarcat-
what it was in the 1990s when the Oslo
ed northern border.
Accords imagined the Golan’s possible
The rocky plateau not only enables
return to Syria as part of a land-for-peace
Israel to buffer itself above the Sea of
pact between Israel and the Arab world.
Galilee from Iran-sponsored Hezbollah
As Syria’s war between Sunni rebels
Shiite terrorists amassed in Lebanon,
but also from Syria-based Sunni jihadists and Assad loyalists builds in the Syrian
Golan Heights, Israel has had to reinforce
sworn to Islamic State and Al Qaida-
linked Al Nusra Front. Hezbollah is a mis- its northern border. Displaced Syrians
along that border continue to benefit
sile-armed ally of Bashar Assad, giving
the maniacal Syrian president a caliber of from Israel's humanitarian heart.
military might that can’t be ignored.
The Golani Brigade, integral to Israel’s
1948 War for Independence, helped the
Jewish state seize most of the Golan from
guest column
The Golan ranges from Lebanon east-
ward to Syria and Jordan, all Arab
nations. The first two breed Zionist-
haters dedicated to destroying Israel.
stressors building up and one pivotal situ-
ation that leads to despair.
I don’t know what Anthony Bourdain’s
circumstances were, but I remember how
devastating it was when we lost Robin
Williams because people of all ages loved
him. Sometimes, when men grow older,
they feel a loss of quality of life; many
times they no longer feel valued after leav-
ing the workplace.
Women are different. While our work is
important to us, we are often connected
to family and friends, and we talk about
feelings.
When a famous person dies by suicide,
people are doubly perplexed, thinking,
They had everything; how could they do
this? But rich and famous does not equal
happy.
Happiness comes from connection,
purpose, doing what you love. There is
truth to the notion that it’s lonely at the
top; achieving fame, fortune and renown
can leave a person feeling alone and mis-
understood.
We must change our conversation
about suicide to one of hopefulness,
where we all get involved in turning the
tide. Even the language must change — a
person does not “commit” suicide like he
“commits” a crime or a sin. People die,
tragically, and preventably.
When someone is grieving or strug-
gling, be the one to start the conversation.
Ask, “Have you had thoughts of suicide?”
And if she says, “Not really,” know that
answer may actually mean “yes.” These
simple conversations can save many lives.
Suicide is not inevitable. Even when
someone thinks it is the answer, there is
“Danger” signs on the Golan mark
mines that Israel planted over the years
to deter Syrian attacks. The signs also
identify Syrian mines from when Syria
held sway over the elevation.
In a June 17 post on “The Ettinger
Report,” former Israeli ambassador to the
U.S. Yoram Ettinger, an Israel-
based demographer and political
consultant, insisted an Israeli retreat
from the Golan “would severely injure
Israel’s posture of deterrence, reducing
its capabilities to extend the strategic
hand of the U.S., thus making Syria dra-
matically more explosive.”
Syria’s “imperialistic aspirations and
potential explosive regional impact
under an Alawite or a Sunni regime,”
Ettinger continued, “transcend the nar-
row context of the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
“They are a derivative of the unique
role played by Syria, the home of the
early caliphs in Islamic history,” he
explained. “Therefore, the current Syrian
powder keg has drawn an unprecedented
number of Islamic terror organizations
and jihad-driven fighters/terrorists from
the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.”
Israel’s seceding from the Golan,
Ettinger added, would “inflame
Damascus’ long-term historical aspira-
tions to solidify control of Syria, reclaim
Greater Syria, including Jordan, Lebanon
and Israel, and dominate the Arab world,
which entails the toppling of all pro-U.S.
Arab regimes.”
Ettinger makes a strong case that the
Golan Heights enables Israel to secure its
tenuous northern border.
Any scenario built with timbers of U.S.
and Israel interests, Mideast reality and
international sentiment demands that
Israel sustain its grip on the Golan. •
continued from page 5
all suicides are completed with a firearm!).
Having someone to literally talk you off
the ledge helps immensely. A person who
is suicidal does not really want to die; he
just wants the pain he is experiencing to
stop.
The pain is so intense it makes it dif-
ficult to see solutions to problems. Talking
about it can help him see the possibility of
enduring pain with the support of loved
ones, community and connections.
In the U.S., the highest rate of suicide
occurs among white men. During the
economic downturn, we saw this happen
because so many men became powerless
to support their families. Unaccustomed
to sharing feelings, many felt isolated and
alone. We think suicide happens when
someone is so despondent she can’t leave
the house. It more often looks like life’s
8
LAY OF THE LAND
About 20,000 Jews and about the same
number of Druze (Arabs largely loyal to
Syria) live in the Golan. The Golan is a
military, economic and housing priority
for all of Israel.
Standing atop the Golan reinforces
what’s at stake.
The Israeli side is radiant and fertile, a
panorama of lush vegetation, trees, vine-
yards and orchards. The bounty includes
wine, olives, goat cheese, chocolate,
black basalt and a vital water catchment.
There’s even a ski resort.
The Syrian side, dreary and daunting,
reveals Damascus, the Russia-aligned
Syrian capital 40 miles away.
In a 2016 Washington Post interview,
Prime Minister Netanyahu captured the
Golan’s legacy. “For the 19 years that the
Golan was under Syrian occupation, it
served as a place for bunkers, barbed
wires, mines and aggression — it was
used for war,” he said. In the ensuing
years under Israeli control, he said, the
Golan has been used for “agriculture,
tourism, economic, initiatives, building”
— peaceful pursuits.
EXPANSIVE TERRAIN
TAKING CHARGE
Jordan and Israel have a peace treaty only
as durable as King Abdullah II.
Regional volatility has emboldened
Shiite Iran from Lebanon to Syria — near
Israel. Notably, Iran funds Hamas, a ter-
rorist arch enemy of Israel.
Given disarray among Palestinian lead-
ership, it’s remote that U.S. recognition
of Israeli sovereignty in the Golan alone
could prompt renewed talks between
the Palestinian Authority and Israel. A
U.S.-brokered peace proposal buoyed by
Sunni Arab leaders would have a better
chance of accomplishing that.
July 12 • 2018
jn
time to redirect thoughts. We simply have
to care. We mustn’t shy away from getting
involved.
As our society grows increasingly dis-
tant, we must double-down on connec-
tion and concern. We must “meddle” in
order to make people believe they matter.
Talking is the path to help.
Suicide is highly preventable. We must
arm health care practitioners, educators
and community members with the tools
to spot real risk and then provide effective
treatment to heal it. •
Gigi Colombini, LMSW, is a psychotherapist and
suicidologist with the Institute for Hope and Human
Flourishing in Birmingham. She provides suicide-
prevention training for Jewish Family Service’s A
Single Soul program.