Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has rejected suggestions from within his cabinet that Israel should talk to Syria, saying peace negotiations could be held only if Damascus stopped backing groups such as Hizbollah.
Mr Olmert's comments followed statements by two cabinet ministers indicating Israel should renew dialogue with one of its bitterest Arab enemies in the wake of the war in Lebanon.
Some analysts have said Mr Olmert may revive peace talks with Syria to redefine his governing agenda following domestic criticism of the offensive against Hizbollah and the shelving of his centrepiece plan to reshape the occupied West Bank.
Mr Olmert told officials in northern Israel, which was hit by nearly 4,000 Hizbollah rockets during the war, that there would be no talks until Damascus took "the most basic steps to create a real basis for such negotiations".
"When Syria stops its support for terror...when Syria stops supplying weapons to those who use them against Israeli citizens and soldiers, we will certainly be happy to conduct negotiations with it," Mr Olmert said.
Those negotiations could "perhaps advance to some arrangement that would bring a bit more calm and stability to our region", Mr Olmert added.