Trump’s Recognition of Golan as Israeli Territory Draws Int’l Condemnation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Following the decision by Washington to recognize “Israeli sovereignty” over the Golan Heights, Moscow warned against US President Donald Trump’s “dangerous” decision to annex the occupied Syrian Golan to the Zionist occupation entity.
Spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova in a statement said the move ignored all international UN relevant resolutions and that such a step would lead to a new escalation of tension in the Middle East, SANA reported.
Meanwhile, Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the US administration’s stance towards the Golan.
Lavrov, in a telephone call with his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, said that the US approach leads to a flagrant violation of the international law and obstructs the settlement of the crisis in Syria.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “clear that the status of Golan has not changed,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.
“The UN’s policy on Golan is reflected in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and that policy has not changed,” Dujarric said. Israel seized the strategic land from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.
Lebanese Foreign Ministry also said that the occupied Syrian Golan is Syrian land and no resolution can change this truth.
“The US announcement regarding the annexation of Golan to the Israeli entity is condemned as it contradicts all international laws and hinders any effort to reach the just peace,” a statement by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Saudi Arabia also joined the chorus of nations rejecting Trump’s decision, calling it a violation of international law.
Calling on “all parties” to respect the United Nations charter, international law, and several UN resolutions calling for Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied in 1967, Saudi Parliament Speaker Mishaal bin Fahm al-Salami flatly opposed Trump’s resolution, reaffirming Riyadh’s “principled position” that the Golan Heights is Syrian land.
A UN Security Council resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member body in 1981 declared that Israel’s “decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect.” It also demanded Israel rescind its decision.