For all of Israel’s history, and most of Syria’s, the two countries have been in a state of war. The past week, however, has seen various reports that Jerusalem and Damascus are close to reaching some sort of accord—which could even, in time, lead to mutual full-fledged diplomatic relations. Under these circumstances, the Israeli journalist David Horovitz (using his British passport) spent two days in Damascus with a group of mostly American Jewish dignitaries, hosted by the Syrian government. Horovitz describes the experience—from meeting with officials to visiting the ruins of synagogues—as surreal.
