Arab States Slam President Trump’s Recognition Of Israeli Sovereignty over Golan Heights

Arab countries slammed US President Donald Trump’s official recognition of Israeli sovereignty over parts of the Golan Heights captured from Syria during the 1967 war and formally annexed by Jerusalem in 1981. Saudi Arabia led the charge, describing the move as a violation of legally binding UN Security Council resolutions while warning the decision could derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and, more broadly, destabilize the entire Middle East. Similarly, Lebanon’s foreign ministry released a statement stressing that “no nation can revisit history by transferring ownership of land from one country to another.” Officials in Bahrain and Kuwait also blasted Trump’s action and called the Golan “occupied” Syrian territory. To this end, the Arab League’s secretary-general asserted that Trump’s declaration “does not change the area’s status” and reiterated that the development would be discussed later this month during the bloc’s annual summit in Tunisia. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Syria’s Foreign Ministry called the decision a blatant attack on the country and stressed that “Trump does not have the right or the legal authority to legitimize the occupation.” During a press conference at the White House prior to the declaration, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu noted that between the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948 and the 1967 war, Damascus had used the highlands to launch attacks against Israeli civilians. He referred to Trump’s decision as “historic” and “invaluable” to Israel’s self-defense given the ongoing war in Syria and, more importantly, Iran’s attempts to establish a permanent military foothold only miles from the border.