So when the French and the British carved up the region, they basically carved large sections that most of the people in the region thought of as Syria and gave it to this little entity that had been Mount Lebanon.

NPR: The Syria-Lebanon Connection

"The government took very seriously the recent comment by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he understood Syrian expectations, and he thought Syria understood Israeli expectations, " Carter said following his trip.

CNN: Syria, Israel reportedly in indirect talks

In December 2012, 63% of Americans thought that the United States had no responsibility to do something about the fighting in Syria between government forces and anti-government groups.

BBC: Little international support for arming Syria rebels