The US decision to recognise the Golan Heights as Israeli territory has not gone well with the Arab leaders as they said that they would push for a UN Security Council resolution against this decision and warned other countries against any move to follow suit.
Arab states seek an opinion from the International Court of Justice by submitting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council “On the illegality and invalidity of the American recognition”, they said in a statement issued after the Arab League summit in Tunisia.
Speaking at the 30th Arab League (AL) summit held in the Tunisian capital Tunis, EU’s High Representative for Foreign affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that the US decision is completely opposed to UN Security Council resolutions that consider the Golan Heights an Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.
Saudi Arabia also rejected US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Syria’s Golan Heights as Israeli territory condemning it as a violation of international law.
Last week US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognising the Golan Heights as part of Israel, which annexed the area in 1981 after capturing it from Syria in 1967.
The UN Security Council and successive US administrations have always regarded the Golan as an occupied territory whose return would be negotiated as part of a comprehensive peace deal between Israel and Syria.
Israel had formally annexed the territory in 1981 after capturing the region from Syria during the six-day war in 1967. The Israeli annexation has long been decried by the world community which regards Golan Heights as an occupied territory and Israeli settlements in the region are illegal as per international law.