Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is said to be willing to give back Syria 's Golan Heights in return for peace with the Arab state. No, this is not some belated April Fool's joke. Several sources have confirmed this as a fact.

According to government officials, Israel is very serious about returning the land as part of a peace pact. There are several conditions that Syria would first need to meet. Israel made clear that any peace agreement would necessitate Syria ending its support for Hamas and throwing Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal out of Damascus; ceasing support for Hezbollah; and distancing itself from Iran .

Olmert gave clues to Israeli newspapers two week ago when he said that the two nations had exchanged messages clarifying what each would expect from a peace deal.

"They know what we want from them, and I know full well what they want from us," Olmert told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot. " Israel is open to peace with Syria," he told another paper, Maariv.

Syrian President Assad told officials of Syria 's ruling Baath party that the exchange explored the possibility of resuming peace talks. Israel "knows well what is accepted and not accepted by Syria ."

The Golan Heights was seized from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War. The territory was successfully defended in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and a sizable portion was later returned to Syria in the 1980s.

The Golan Heights is of strategic importance because it is a plateau and mountainous region that lies between Israel and Syria . Without this buffer zone, much of Israel 's northern population center would be within visual range of Syrian artillery and rockets.

A return of the whole of the Golan would bring the board right down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee . The city of Tiberias would have to worry about attacks from Syrian gun boats.

Another important thing about the Golan Heights is that much of Israel 's water comes from the Golan Mountains. The headwaters of the Jordan river are set in the Golan.

Leaders from Israel 's Likud Party wasted no time condemning the plan. Lawmaker Yuval Steinitz accused Olmert of "unprecedented recklessness" in a the message exchange. "Without the Golan, Israel will be hard-pressed to defend its existence." Likud Party Whip Gidon Saar said Olmert is "gambling irresponsibly with Israel 's national and strategic assets, (and there is) no public support to do so."

In my view, Israel would be signing its death warrant in giving up the Golan Heights . The fiasco that resulted from the turning over of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians should have convinced Olmert that this is a dumb idea. Once Israel pulled out of Gaza, Islamic terrorists quickly moved in, and now everyday rockets are being fired into southern Israel from the Gaza board.

I don't see why Israel thinks it's required to give back this land. Syria lost the Golan Heights as result of a surprise attack it launched against Israel . If history is any guide, the aggressor in any war is always out of luck when it comes to redrawing the map. Germany lost a large part of its western territory to Poland as a result of World War II. Japan lost several islands in the conflict.

In 1981, Israel had already decided to annex the Golan Heights. It got cold feet when the international community refused to recognize its claim to the Golan. By acknowledging that it holds territory that rightfully belongs to its neighbor, Israel has made itself look like an unjust occupier.

I would hope that the Israeli people will never agree to such a crazy idea. Unfortunately, the promise of peace has caused the public into supporting equally foolish decisions in the past.

Just by making this proposal, the chance of war with Syria is made all the more likely. If the Golan territory is given back, militants could easily move into these rugged mountains and launch hit-and-run terror attacks against Jewish settlements. If Israel fails to follow through on its decision to give back the land, Syria has already promised it will launch a war to liberate its territory.