The Israeli Journalist Leon Hadar has a thoughtful piece in the National Interest (published on September 21) on Syria-Israel relations, in which he says that

Although it may come as a surprise, Damascus wants to settle its long-running dispute with Israel. Indeed, Syrian representatives have been trying for some time to make headway on the issue.

This is a remarkable statement, coming as it did between Israel’s raid deep into Syria and Antoine Ghanem’s funeral, events that speak volumes about Damascus’s modus operandi and the chances for bilateral peace deals.

I’m suspicious of Hadar’s take, to say the least. Especially given that Haaretz (who probably read the National Interest, too) has since put all Hadar’s optimism to rest:

“After this raid, you can forget about peace. It is no secret that our forces have been on alert for some time, but Syria will not be the first to start a war,” said one of the Syrian officials, who asked not to be named.