Israel plays down fears of war with Syria .
Colleen Siegel
JERUSALEM 1996-08-22
Israel 's outgoing peace negotiator with Syria said on Thursday current tensions between the two countries appeared to be a storm in a teacup .
Itamar Rabinovich , who as Israel 's ambassador to Washington conducted unfruitful negotiations with Syria , told Israel Radio it looked like Damascus wanted to talk rather than fight .
" It appears to me the Syrian priority is still to negotiate .
The Syrians are confused , they are definitely tense , but the general assessment here in Washington is that this is essentially a storm in a teacup , " he said .
Rabinovich is winding up his term as ambassador .
He will be replaced by Eliahu Ben-Elissar , a former Israeli envoy to Egypt and right-wing Likud party politician .
Israel on Wednesday sent Syria a message , via Washington , saying it was committed to peace and wanted to open negotiations without preconditions .
But it slammed Damascus for creating what it called a dangerous atmosphere .
Syria accused Israel on Wednesday of launching a hysterical campaign against it after Israeli television reported that Damascus had recently test fired a missile .
It said its arms purchases were for defensive purposes .
" The message that we sent to ( Syrian President Hafez al- ) Assad is that Israel is ready at any time without preconditions to enter peace negotiations , " Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy told Israel Radio in an interview .
Tension has mounted since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office in June vowing to retain the Golan Heights Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war .
Israeli-Syrian peace talks have been deadlocked over the Golan since 1991 despite the previous government 's willingness to make Golan concessions .
Peace talks between the two sides were last held in February .
" The voices coming out of Damascus are bad , not good .
The media ...
are full of expressions and declarations that must be worrying ...
this artificial atmosphere is very dangerous because those who spread it could become its prisoners , " Levy said .
" We expect from Syria , if its face is to peace , that it will answer Israel 's message to enter peace negotiations because that is our goal , " he said . "
We do not want a war , God forbid .
No one benefits from wars . "
Israel 's Channel Two television said Damascus had sent a " calming signal " to Israel .
It gave no source for the report .
Netanyahu and Levy 's spokesmen said they could not confirm it .
The television also said that Netanyahu had sent messages to reassure Syria via Cairo , the United States and Moscow .