Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak seems to have suddenly had the revelation that unless there is peace with Syria, war with it could easily happen, with the potential of escalating into a wider armed conflict.

What Barak has just come to realise has been common knowledge in the region for the past four or five decades, including the time when he was prime minister of his country. Maybe he can also remember that it was he who scuppered the peace accord with Syria during the term in office of US president Bill Clinton.

It is well documented how a peace deal between Israel and Syria was within reach at the time, but foundered at the last moment because Barak was not able to go through the motion. To say now that peace with Syria is a basic prerequisite for regional peace is strange and a bit suspect. Not that it weren’t the truth, only the timing is dubious.

The Arab world has been saying for years that key to a peace accord between Israel and the Arab world is the conclusion of a peace agreement with Syria. The exclusion of Damascus from the peace process in the Middle East has been a main reason for lack of progress on the peace front, including, of course, with the Palestinians and the Lebanese.

If Barak can be believed, a volte face of this defence minister is welcome. Perhaps he can convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to pursue the path of peace with Syria alongside the projected peace talks with the Palestinians.

If it does, Israel has to be prepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights as the price for peace with Damascus. This is a contentious issue, but doing so will prove that Israel is serious about arriving at peace with its neighbours.

Unless the Arab territories Israel occupied in the 1967 war are returned to their rightful owners, no amount of pious talk by Israel can be taken seriously.