US President Donald Trump said that he’s been thinking about about recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli.
“I’ve been thinking about doing it for a long time. It’s been a hard decision for every President, no President has done it” Trump said in an interview with Fox Businesss, answering the question of why has now made his statement right now about the Golan. A fragment of the interview is presented on the website of the channel.
On Thursday, 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!”
Next week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming to visit the United States, and in April, Israel will hold parliamentary elections.
Responding to a question from Maria Bartiromo, the American President stressed that his statement was not related to the issue of Netanyahu’s re-election as prime minister.
The Golan Heights until 1967 were part of Syria. During the Six Day War, Israeli troops occupied this territory. At the time of the Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Warsaw Pact countries supplied weapons and equipment, in particular, to Syria and Egypt. As a result of the war of the Doomsday (1973), the parties entered into an Armistice Agreement and Disengagement of Forces Agreement. In 1974, a UN peacekeeping posts was established in the Golan Heights.
