Iran Press/America: US President Donald Trump on Thursday overturned longstanding US policy regarding the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability," Trump tweeted according to CNN.
The move comes just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to join Trump at the White House and follows weeks during which Netanyahu has renewed his push for the US to recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel.
It is while the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 24 overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution on the permanent sovereignty of Syria over natural resources of the occupied Golan Heights.
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UN votes in favor of Syria sovereignty over Golan Heights
The resolution reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Syrians in the occupied Syrian Golan to sovereign over its natural resources, including land, water and energy. It also demands that Israeli occupation authorities stop from exploiting, damaging, depleting and endangering natural resources in the strategically-important territory.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and has continued to occupy two-thirds of the strategically-important territory ever since, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.
The Tel Aviv regime has built dozens of illegal settlements in the area since its occupation and has used the region to carry out a number of military operations against the Syrian government
Tel Aviv has also been pressing the US administration under Israel-friendly President Trump to recognize its claim to sovereignty over the occupied territory in defiance of international law.
Syria has repeatedly reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, saying the territory must be completely restored to its control. 104
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