Expert: Trump's decision on Golan heightens international tensions

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: the US decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights is another step towards destroying the international legal basis for resolving the situation in the Middle East.

Golan Heights. Photo: Sputnik

Earlier, US President Donald Trump signed a decree recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Unfortunately, this is another step aimed at destroying the international legal framework for resolving the situation in the Middle East. Russia's position on this issue remains unchanged - the Golan Heights are Syrian territory," Zakharova told Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Israel occupied this territory as a result of the 1967 war and 14 years later illegally invaded it, Maria Zakharova recalled.

“And I would like to note once again that if politicians in Washington like to talk so much about compliance with international law, then in this particular case they not only directly contradict it, but also directly violate it,” Zakharova added.

Vladimir Fitin, an expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS), in an interview with Sputnik gave his assessment of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan.

“This decision by Trump continues his policy of taking unexpected actions that no one can predict. The fact that he announced this now is very similar to his gesture of support for Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections in Israel (to be held on April 9). It is said that Netanyahu’s “Likud” party may lose the election that Trump wants him to win.”

Vladimir Fitin - expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS)

The Russian expert believes that, in fact, Trump's decision is unlikely to change anything, because the Golan has been under Israeli control since 1967. However, perhaps, the US recognition of this area as Israeli territory will aggravate the situation in the region.

Trump's earlier announcement of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has worsened the situation, sparking further clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army.

"The declaration on the Golan Heights also adds tension to the relations between Israel and its neighbors... But obviously, the United States believes that it has the right to do everything on this planet that it deems necessary, and international law, that is for the rest of the world," Vladimir Fitin concluded.

After Trump signed a document recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Canada and the EU said they still do not recognize the territory as part of Israel.

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Syria, Lebanon and a host of other countries condemned the US decision.