Israel to keep Golan Heights under its control — Netanyahu

The Golan Heights will remain under Israel’s control, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, reported from TASS.

"We all understand the great importance of our presence there on the Golan Heights, and not on the foothills of the Golan," he said, adding that Israel’s presence there guarantees its security and sovereignty.

"The Golan Heights will forever be an inseparable part of Israel," Netanyahu stressed.

The Israeli prime minister thanked US President-elect Donald Trump for his support for Israel and for recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over this territory. "This historic recognition was confirmed today and we understand the importance of this," he noted.

Netanyahu said on December 8 that following the change of power in Syria, Israel deems the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria invalid. The agreement provided for the establishment of a buffer zone in the Golan Heights where only UN peacekeepers could be deployed to. Meanwhile, the Israeli army began to move eastwards and took positions in the buffer zone. According to Netanyahu, this was a purely defensive and temporary measure.

The Golan Heights belonged to Syria since 1944 but were seized by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Syria tried to regain control over the area but failed. In 1981, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed a law proclaiming Israel’s sovereignty over this territory. However, United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 dated December 17, 1981 recognized the annexation as invalid.

During his first term as US president, Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The move has been lambasted not only by Syria and other Arab countries, but also by Russia and leading European states and US allies, including Germany and France.

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