DMITRIY FELDMAN SVARSHIK views 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.