Golan Heights community leaders on Thursday urged Turkey to continue advancing peace talks between Israel and Syria without conditioning negotiations on an Israeli withdrawal from the contentious region.

In a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Golan leaders asked the advancement of talks be based on the same model used by Turkey and Syria to resolve its dispute over Hatay - a region annexed by Ankara in 1939. That dispute led to years of tensions between the two states until Syria relinquished its demands over the region in 2004.

"Turkey has prove its ability to establish peace with Syria after a difficult dispute of many years," wrote Katzrin local council head Sammy Bar Lev and Golan regional council head Eli Malkha in their letter to Erdogan. "We call on you to use the successful Turkish model of the Hatay region to advance peace between Israel and Syria.

Golan community leaders announced earlier Thursday that construction and development in the northern territory would continue with the certainty that any attempt to undermine Israel's sovereignty in the Golan would be viewed as a serious security violation and likely end in complete failure.

The announcement came on the heels of reports Thursday morning that Syrian President Bashar Assad confirmed that he received a message signifying that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria.

"The Golan belongs to the people of Israel, who will never be willing to give it up," said one of the participants in the meeting of community heads.

On Wednesday, the head of the Knesset House Committee MK David Tal said he hopes to quickly pass a bill requiring an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan to be dependent on a national referendum.

Tal said an evacuation of the Golan would draw Hezbollah to the region. The chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz, said "Olmert's willingness to come down from the Golan is an expression of unprecedented political and security anarchy." He said Israel could not protect itself and its water sources without the Golan.

Minister Rafi Eitan (Pensioners) made a similar call for a referendum on Wednesday, saying: "Under current conditions, we must not give up our hold on any part of the Golan Heights. The matter must be brought for a referendum."

MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) called on opposition leader and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately announce "that he would not be obligated to any suicidal concession by Olmert."

In contrast, MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) called on Olmert "to take advantage of the opportunity and conduct quick and intensive negotiations with the Syrians." Such talks would "lead to a dramatic change in [Syria's] relationship with extremist elements in the area," Beilin said.

When asked about Wednesday's reports, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said "I have nothing to add beyond what the prime minister said on Friday in his interviews with the Israeli press about his desire for peace with Syria."

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