US is preparing to give part of Syria to Israel

Washington proved once again that it demands compliance with international law only from others, but not from itself. Trump, via Twitter, called for legalizing the 52-year Israeli occupation of the Golan, although all countries of the world consider these heights as part of Syria.

This is what American President Donald Trump tweeted:

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!

The territory mentioned before 1967 was a part of Syria and from the point of view of international law it remains so to this day. During the Six-Day War, Israeli troops occupied the western part of the heights (two-thirds of this territory), Syria retained the eastern regions.

The world community (of course, with the exception of Israel) recognizes precisely Syrian sovereignty over the Golan. Prior to Trump’s statement, the official position of the United States was that “the Golan Heights is a Syrian territory under Israeli occupation that is the subject of negotiations and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.” Washington appealed to UN Security Council resolution 242, adopted immediately after the Six Day War, which demanded the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the occupied territories.

New times, new policy

Trump apparently wrote this tweet on prepared ground.
 The ground was prepared by US Senator Lindsay Graham, who recently visited the region and made a similar statement. Republican senator Graham, who after the death of John McCain is considered the main Washington hawk, made his statement on March 12.

And on March 20, Netanyahu held talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and reportedly tried to get the States to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan. As the American press reported, indirect signs indicated that Washington could satisfy Israel’s request.

Surely Trump had in mind the upcoming April 9 elections in Israel, where the American president is betting on Benjamin Netanyahu. If this is so, then it would be difficult to think of a better present for the current Israeli prime minister - and this would be the next step after Trump recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transfers the American embassy there.

Although Pompeo has assured that the United States will not interfere in the elections in Israel, but in Israel itself, Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington on Monday is viewed as part of the current prime minister’s campaigning campaign. At the same time, the main election rival, the leader of the White-and-Blue Bloc, Beni Ganz, who has good chances to become a new prime minister, is going to the USA Therefore, it is obvious - if the US recognizes the Golan as Israeli, then the campaign of Bibi Netanyahu can be considered won.

As for the Congress, given the political will, it is no longer difficult to hold a decision on the recognition of the Golan as Israeli. Back in late February, Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz and Rep. Mike Gallagher introduced the bill.

If the US officially makes such a decision, it will, of course, be welcomed in Israel, but in the rest of the region of the Near and Middle East it will be received with great anger and anxiety. In any case, the problem of the Golan Heights must be solved on the basis of international law, and Trump clearly undermines its remnants by his actions.

The fact that the United States does not assume the most enthusiastic reaction (primarily from Iran and Hezbollah) to its decision may be evidenced by the deployment of the American THAAD system in Israel in early March. Washington and Tel Aviv call this decision a temporary one, but as they say, there is nothing more permanent than a temporary things.

As for the international recognition of the Golan as Israeli, it is difficult to predict who will support the United States if they make such a decision. Of course, the entire Arab world will come out with condemnation; we should expect a strong reaction from Turkey.

It is unlikely that Americans would be supported by China and other BRICS countries. Russia will never accept such recognition.