© Getty Images
Israeli soldier near Moshay Alonei HaBashan in Golan Heights
Israeli soldier near Moshay Alonei HaBashan in Golan Heights
The Trump administration declared the territory — seized by Israel from Syria in 1967 and later annexed by the country — to be wholly part of the Jewish state in 2019. Then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo took a trip to the area in 2020 and reaffirmed that America formally abandoned a decades-long policy of considering the area occupied.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken first raised questions about the Biden administration's view on the matter in February, when he would not say if his State Department continues to abide by the former administration's decision. At the time, Blinken would only say the Golan Heights "remains of real importance to Israel's security," but that its formal status remains unclear. Pressed on the issue by the Washington Free Beacon, a State Department official said the territory belongs to no one and control could change depending on the region's ever-shifting dynamics.
The shift in policy is already causing outrage among Republican lawmakers who backed the Trump administration's decision and hoped to see it continue. It is also likely to rankle Israeli leaders of all political stripes, the plurality of whom say the Golan Heights is absolutely vital to Israel's security in light of persistent threats from the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon and other militant forces stationed in war-torn Syria.
Comment: A tightly wound confluence of circumstance, policy and dominance undergird the core of this problem. Were Israel's treatment and acknowledgement of Palestinians heritage and rights to be upheld, and Palestinians inclusive in the decisions, many of the current issues would fade. The Biden administration sees a golden opportunity for leverage, the only operative it needs going forward. 'What for' doesn't matter.