The Syrian track – requiring Israel’s withdrawal from the strategically vital Golan Heights and the evacuation of tens of thousand of settlers – is hampered not only by the Israeli leadership’s legitimacy deficit, but also by US opposition to the talks. For the Syrians, the major objective in concluding peace with Israel is rapprochement with the US, but they will balk at the Americans’ demand that they stop flirting with terrorism as a precondition for talks.