© AP/Ariel SchalitOld military outpost with view of Golan Heights
US allies in the Middle East have reaffirmed their position on the Golan Heights, with the
Arab League emphasising that it fully supports Syria's sovereignty over the territory annexed by Israel.Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, commenting on US President Donald Trump's statement about the Golan Heights, said that
changing the status of the Golan Heights in order to bypass the UN Security Council constituted a direct violation of UN decisions. Zakharova said:
"Russia, as you know, takes a principled position on the issue of the Syrian Arab Republic's ownership of the Golan Heights. This is confirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 497 of 1981. Our assessment of the unlawful nature of Israel's decision to extend its sovereignty to the Golan Heights remains unchanged. Changing the status of the Golan Heights bypassing the Security Council is in direct violation of UN decisions."
The Kremlin has said Friday that the recent statement by US President Donald Trump on the necessity to fully recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights
hinders the Middle East settlement and expressed hope that the relevant decision will not be taken.Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:
"Undoubtedly, such calls may significantly destabilize the already-tense situation in the Middle East. In any case, the idea per se by no means contributes to the Middle East settlement, quite the opposite. In any case, so far it is only a call. We hope that it will remain this way," Peskov added
Trump previously wrote on Twitter that now was the time for the US to recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel. According to him, the time has come to take such a step in the interests of the security of Israel and the region as a whole.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Trump's statement by thanking the US president for his support. Netanyahu on Thursday made a phone call to US President Donald Trump to express gratitude for the statement.
The Golan Heights, considered by Syria to be a part of its territory, was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. It was not until 1981 that Tel Aviv passed legislation formally annexing the area. The United Nations has not recognised the annexation.
Comment: Trump's move prompted a backlash from a number of other states, including Syria and Turkey.
Erdogan refuted Trump's legitimization of Israel's occupation of Golan Heights as sovereignty:
'We Cannot Allow the Legitimisation of Invasion of Golan Heights' - Erdogan told a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Friday.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has warned that US President Donald Trump's recent statement on the Golan Heights puts "the Middle East region on the brink of a new crisis".
The statement comes after the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned US President Trump's comments on the Golan Heights as "irresponsible", adding that the Syrian people are determined to recover the area through "all available means".
The Ministry pointed out that Trump's statement "confirms the US's blind commitment to Israel and support for its aggressive behaviour". According to the Ministry, Washington is violating a UN resolution which describes Israel's intentions to establish its laws in the Golan Heights as invalid and illegal.
The UN and other countries also
voiced strong opposition :
UN reiterated Golan Heights status remains same after Trump's call. In particular, the UN does not recognise the annexation of the territory that has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War and formally annexed in 1981.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports, citing sources, that the Trump administration is working on a document to formally recognise the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. The US president might sign it next week during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House.
Trump's call has prompted strong opposition from European and Middle Eastern countries. France bashed the move, recalling that it contradicts international law, while Germany noted that the national borders should be changed through peaceful means.
A similar position has been voiced by Russia, Iran, Palestine and Egypt, with some of the states stressing that the territory falls under Syria's sovereignty.
The guiding precepts of US foreign policy since pretty much forever have been 1.) Does it benefit US interests? and 2.) Can we get away with it?
Considerations of international law or the violations thereof have been so far down on the priority list that they have rarely played a role in the formulation of policy. Unless, of course, it could be used as a club to get other countries to do what we wanted.