WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS? DONALD TRUMP RECOGNIZES GOLAN SOVEREIGNTY FOR ISRAEL

Donald Trump shows his signature in a document
that formally recognizes the Golan Heights
as Israel's territory

Donald Trump the President of the United States, formally acknowledged on Monday (May 25, 2019) Israeli control of the Golan Heights, the Syrian region occupied by Israel in 1967.

These are statements by the President of the United States: "This is something that should have been done for many decades," "This was going on for a long time." At the time he stated these statements he was accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu after formalizing
recognition of the Golan Heights as belonging to Israel.

Trump said that relations between Israel and the United States were "never so strong" and recognized Israel's right to absolute defense against the "aggressive actions" of terrorist groups and Iran.

Trump, who justified the decision by Iran's "aggressive actions" and by the "terrorist groups" acting against Israel, gave the final step in signing the decree officially recognizing the sovereignty of the region as belonging to Israel.

The recognition made by the United States Government marks a change in US policy and breaks decades of international consensus on the region.

The United States recognizes "Israel's absolute right to defend itself," said the president along with Netanyahu, who is making an official visit to the country. The Israeli prime minister was forced to disrupt the trip and will return to Israel today after a rocket launched in Gaza left seven people injured in Tel Aviv on Sunday night - an attack described by Trump as "despicable" and "horrendous."

The Syrian government called Trump's decision "a violation of the sovereignty and unity of Syrian territory".

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "it is clear that the status of the Golan has not changed." For the UN, the 1981 Security Council resolution, which stated that "Israel's decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian hills is null and void," continues to be valid.

Netanyahu is in the USA to show his close ties with Trump. He was expected to stay in the country until the end of the week, but after a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip hit central Israel, he announced he would anticipate the return to Monday.

Netanyahu faces a possible indictment in three corruption cases and denies any wrongdoing. He should explore his meeting with Trump, highlighting what he calls "the strongest bond between an Israeli leader and an American [in history]."

Golan Heights

Israel conquered much of the Golan Heights - 1,200 square kilometers - during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed the area in 1981, but the international community never recognized annexation.

Trump has already broken with international consensus by unilaterally recognizing in December 2017 Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The president's move on the Golan was widely seen in Israel, where Trump is a popular figure, as an attempt to support Netanyahu in the election.

Trump had already fulfilled two main items on Netanyahu's wish list, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017 and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the city last May.

These measures infuriated the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem, also captured by Israel in 1967, as the capital of a state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

For Trump, Netanyahu's embrace resonates with US evangelicals, an important constituency for the Republican leader, who will seek re-election in 2020.

Infographic monstando Territory occupied by Israel
United Nations Monitoring Forces of the Serapion
Line Established in Ceasefire Agreement

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GOLF HILLS TO ISRAEL?

A considered strategic area was taken by Israel in 1967. Trump's message would now be, for critics, a blatant attempt to boost the candidacy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election in a tightly-contested, scheduled for April.

The Golan Heights have political and strategic significance

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 in a maneuver not recognized by the international community.

Syria, which seeks to recover the region, has so far not commented on Trump's statement.

WHY IS THIS AREA CONSIDERED STRATEGIC?

South Syria and the capital, Damascus, about 60 miles to the north, are clearly visible from the Golan Heights.

The area gives Israel an excellent vantage point to monitor Syrian movements and, with its topography, offers a natural security against any military attack from Syria.

The region is also an important source of water - that's where a third of Israel's water supply comes from. Rainwater from the Golan basin feeds the Jordan River.

The land is also fertile and volcanic soil is used to grow vineyards, orchards and raise livestock.

The Golan is home to Israel's only ski resort.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF TRUMP POSITIONING?

Trump's statement comes amid a backdrop in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking re-election and is facing a series of allegations of alleged corruption. He will contest the country's general election on April 9.

"The formal recognition of the USA does not change anything in practice on the spot, since Israel was already acting with full military authority in this area," says BBC News correspondent in charge of US State Department coverage Barbara Plett-Usher.

"Critics have thus concluded that this was a blatant attempt to propel Netanyahu into a fierce election," she added.

This, in the view of analysts, violates important principles of international law, since "Trump endorsed the takeover of territory and will not have moral authority to criticize Russia for doing the same in Crimea, Ukraine."

The reactions to what the American president said:

Netanyahu - who warned of Iran's "military reinforcement", seen as its country's main enemy in Syria and ordered air strikes in an attempt to thwart it - thanked Trump for his favorable position via Twitter.

"At a time when Iran is seeking to use Syria as a platform to destroy Israel, President Trump boldly recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights," he wrote.

The reactions to what the American president said

Richard Haass, a former US State Department official who is now president of the Council on Foreign Relations Study Center, said he "strongly disagreed" with Trump. He said that recognizing Israel's sovereignty would violate a UN Security Council resolution "which rules out the acquisition of territories by war."

In 2017, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the transfer of the US embassy to the city. The decision was condemned by the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem as the capital of a possible future Palestinian state. The UN General Assembly also adopted a resolution rejecting recognition of Jerusalem by Washington.

'A good surprise for Netanyahu'

Would President Trump's tweet have surprised even his closest advisers?

BBC News correspondent Barbara Plett-Usher says reporters traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were waiting at Prime Minister Netanyahu's house to interview both when news of Trump's position on The Golan came to the surface.

"If the announcement was a surprise, it was a good surprise for Netanyahu," she said, noting that the Israeli Prime Minister's first words to reporters was that he was "very excited".

The surprise, however, was only the moment the announcement was made, not the message, because the idea that the United States recognizes Israel's sovereignty over the Golan has been brewing in the Trump government for some time.

Israel has gained strength in the White House and in parts of Congress arguing that Iran is using Syria as a base to attack the country, with the Golan Heights as the front line.

THE GOLF HILLS

The region covers about 1,200 square kilometers.

Israel took most of this territory in the late stages of the 1967 Middle East war and thwarted a Syrian attempt to retake the region during the 1973 war.

The two countries agreed to a demarcation plan the following year, which involved the creation of a 70-kilometer demilitarized zone patrolled by a United Nations observation force. But they remained technically in a state of war.

In 1981, Israel's parliament passed legislation applying Israeli "law, jurisdiction and administration" to the Golan, effectively annexing the territory.

But the international community did not recognize the maneuver and maintained that the Golan was occupied Syrian territory. Resolution 497 of the UN Security Council declared the Israeli decision "null and void".

Three years ago, when former President Barack Obama was in power, the United States voted in favor of a Security Council statement expressing deep concern that Netanyahu had stated that Israel would never give up the Golan.

Syria has consistently reiterated that it will not agree to a peace agreement with Israel unless the country withdraws completely from the hills. The last direct peace negotiations brokered by the United States were discontinued in 2000. In 2008, it was Turkey's turn to act as a mediator in indirect talks between the parties.

There are more than 30 Israeli settlements in the Golan, housing about 20,000 people. Settlements are considered illegal by international law - an understanding that Israel disputes.

The settlers live alongside about 20,000 Syrians, most of them Druze Arabs, who did not flee when the area was taken.