Iran Press/Europe: In a move contrary to international law and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Monday recognizing Israel's sovereignty over Syria's illegally-occupied Golan Heights, reversing more than a half-century of US policy in the Middle East.
Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump made formal a move he announced in a surprise tweet last week.
The Golan Heights were occupied by the Israeli regime following the 1967 six-day war; the move has never been recognized by the international community.
Netanyahu has been pressing for Washington to recognize its claim on the occupied Golan Heights for years.
Syria attacks US presidential proclamation
Syria slammed the US step as "blatant aggression" on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The foreign ministry said Trump's move represented the "highest level of contempt for international legitimacy" and showed that Washington was "the main enemy" of Arabs.
Arabs call Trump's action as null and void.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement of Hamas announced that Trump's proclamation on Golan proves that the US government is a threat to international peace and security.
Lebanon, which Secretary of State Mike Pence visited over the past weekend, said that the Golan Heights is "Syrian Arab" territory and that "no country can falsify history by transferring" land from one country to another.
The Arab League has insisted that Trump's action of recognizing the occupation of the Zionist regime in the Golan of Syria is completely null and void.
EU position on Golan Heights has not changed
The EU does not recognize the sovereignty of Israel over the occupied Golan Heights, the European Union said on Monday evening in a statement. The EU stated that the Union's position on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights has not changed and is not likely to be changed in the future.
Canada: Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under internatioanl law
"In accordance with international law, Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over the Golan Heights. Canada's long-standing position remains unchanged," the Canadian foreign ministry said. "Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law."
Turkey warns of further tensions in the region
Turkey's foreign minister said that the US had ignored international law and that the decision would further increase tensions in the region.
UN: annexation of the Golan Heights is without international legal effect
And, at the United Nations, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, referring to Security Council resolutions, said that Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights was "null and void and without international legal effect."
AI & HRW lament Trump's proclamation
Amnesty International called the decision "irresponsible, reckless and yet another example of the Trump administration violating international law and consensus by condoning Israel's illegal annexation."
Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said Trump seems to want to "drive a wrecking ball" through international law that protects the people who live in "occupied Golan Heights." He said it could embolden other "occupying states to double down on their own land grabs, settlements and plunder of resources."
US President Donald Trump on 25 March 2019, signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian territory as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump's Jewish son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner were standing at his side in the White House in Washington. 104/211/213
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