Ronny Sofer, writing at Israel's Ynet News.com, in an August 22, 2006 article headlined "Will Assad save Olmert's hide?," contends that "Internal security minister Avi Dichter's statement that Israel would be willing to trade the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria hit the public and the political establishment like a bombshell."
Sofer said, "Dichter, one of Prime Minister Olmert's closest advisors, made his statements on the heels of Defense Minister Amir Peretz's assertion, before the war ended, that "Israel should examine the Syrian option."
"In addition," Sofer wrote, "Haaretz reported the nomination of Yaakov Dayan to be Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's Syrian advisor, and while meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, Vice Premier Shimon Peres called on the Syrians to "stop being shy," and to meet with Israel openly, with no preliminary conditions.
"It's the only way we can speak about peace," he said, according to Sofer.