Reacting to Monday’s comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House ruled out calls to formally recognize the Israeli occupation and subsequent annexation of the Golan Heights away from Syria, saying they weren’t sure if Netanyahu was even serious but that the US had no intention of changing its position on the occupation.
Israel captured the Golan Heights militarily in 1967, and annexed it in 1981, though that annexation is not internationally recognized, Israel has been reported to have talked with Syria in the past about returning the territory in return for a peace deal, though Netanyahu suggested Monday that the ongoing Syrian Civil War means Israel should just get to keep the heights forever.
White House officials also warned that the move “complicates” the their involvement in the Syrian War, putting the US-backed rebels in an “awkward position” and opening them up to charges they are part of a plot to abandon the recovery of Golan by Syria.
Israel’s policy has shifted in recent years to suggest they are ditching all pretense of ever returning the Golan Heights, opening up the territory to oil drilling by Israeli companies, a sort of long-term investment which would be unthinkable if the territory is still potentially to be returned to Syria.
The Golan belongs to Israel, it always has since GOD gave them the land
Zelda, I'm sure somewhere in that pea brain of yours you
also believe that God gave the Pilgrims North America.
Prove it.
Nice to know GOD is a real estate agent.
If God gave any part of Israel to his 'Chosen' Ones, he also gave them the right to sell it or abandon it in favor of greener pastures elsewhere. Much of the land called 'Israel' isn't worth a plugged nickel and it is partly the US taxpayers' nickel (along with fresh water from Syria and Lebanon) that has enabled Israelis to make more out of that land. That is probably why many of His 'Chosen' Ones left Palestine – er Israel – over the centuries.
If you really believe God gave Israel the land, why don't you ask God to send them some more rainfall. They need it.
The problem is the God of Syria,Jesus,says the Golan is Syrian land.
Syria will be lucky to keep Syria
Thank-you for reporting on this.
This is why Israel has pushed so hard to overthrow Assad
The Golan belongs to Syria and now that they have found oil there Assad will have to fight Israel to get it back. Which explains why America is so interested in getting rid of Assad.
Just wait for the brown-nosing political candidates, both Dems and GOP to
start falling over each other to give away Golan to Israel for AIPAC political approval
He also gave the Chosen the entire fertile crescent from the Nile to the Euphrates. It's all in the Book.
A book written by old men who suffered from night sweats and hallucinations brought on by cheap wine and dung-grown mushrooms who in today's society would be street people well out on the fringes or snake oil salesmen working the traveling tent circuit for the lost and ignorant.
This has been a major Israeli goal since their 1981 annexation. They also want the rest of the Golan. They might get it from destroying Syria. Coincidence? No.
So, no word from the United Nations about the Golan Heights stolen from Syria?
It should be clear by now the UN is a weak body of bureaucrats controlled by the U.S. when it comes to violations of international law committed by Israel against its neighbors including the nearly 70 years of brutal occupation of Palestine.
Actually, God gave me the Golan Heights. It is written in my holy book that I get Hawaii, all of Greenland and the Golan Heights!