- Title: GOLAN HEIGHTS: Israelis ski in snowy Hermon Mount amid tension with Syria
- Date: 8th February 2010
- Summary: SKI INSTRUCTOR DRESSING CHILD WITH YELLOW VEST BEFORE SKI LESSON WOMAN SLIDING DOWN SLOPE WITH CHILD
- Embargoed: 23rd February 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: International Relations,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVA1HSQBOQ45G0W9L6Y16OUN12HT
- Story Text: Israelis and tourists enjoy the snowy top of Mount Hermon -- under the control of the Jewish state, Syria and Lebanon -- despite recent tension with Syria.
Israeli skiers ignored newspaper headlines about "War with Syria" on Sunday (February 7) and took to the slopes of Mount Hermon, where the two countries share a front-line that saw fierce tank battles in 1973.
The only evident tension was in the faces of visitors unprepared for bone-chilling cold as they rode the ski-lift to the crest before the sun came over the top to warm the air.
Among the tourists were several immigrant workers from Asia, who are employed as caretakers for older Israelis. Some of them were seeing snow for the first time in their lives.
"It's really our first time to see the snow....It's very cold!," said Sheryl from the Philippines as she and her friend posed for photos near the entrance of the Hermon ski resort.
Even experienced skiers were impressed by the unusually good conditions at the site.
"I think the conditions are very good, the snow is good, and the best thing is the sun... In Europe you have a very good snow, but not sun like here in Israel," Gabi, a resident of northern Israel, told Reuters.
Asked about their proximity to Syria, visitors seemed unconcerned.
"We are Israelis and I was in the army, there is no afraid. We are trusting of our army. There is no problem," Gabi said as he prepared to use the ski lift to reach the mountain's top.
Oren, a young Franco-Israeli who arrived at the mountain from Tel Aviv before dawn to enjoy the first runs with a group of friends in their 20's, said he felt "completely safe".
"I think that in the past 20 years there were no special incidents except for some crazy guy or something like that. But from the security point of view it's very safe. You don't see a lot of security, you don't feel it," he said.
On Thursday (February 4) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reassured Syria that Israel wants a treaty with the Arab state to end their 60-year state of war, after his foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in any conflict.
He repeated the message on Sunday, saying Israel seeks peace and is ready to negotiate without preconditions.
Israel rejects Syria's demand that it undertakes the return of the Golan Heights ahead of any peace talks. The Syrian plateau was captured in the 1967 Middle East war and dominates the territory on either side of the ceasefire line. Its buried dangers were front-page news in Israel at the weekend when a boy had his foot blown off after straying into one of the many minefields that litter the high ground.
Lieberman's threat came after Assad had accused Israel of pushing for war. A few Israeli lawmakers urged Netanyahu to dismiss Lieberman for bellicose rhetoric, which some analysts speculated was really about the ultranationalist minister's will to rule out any notion that the Golan is negotiable.
Indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel, mediated by Turkey, broke down during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in December 2008. But some Israeli analysts believe Syria still may offer the most promising avenue for a wider peace.
Mt. Hermon is the only ski slope within driving range of Israeli cities and while not blessed by deep Alpine powder, snow-cover is sufficient.
Syria also has ski slopes on the eastern side of Mt. Hermon, which rises to 2,400 metres, on what has been Israel's quietest enemy front for over three decades.
Israel, however, is also concerned by Syria's support -- along with that of Iran -- for the Shi'ite Hezbollah force in next-door southern Lebanon, where war erupted in 2006 and where the border remains decidedly more tense. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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