Golan Heights belongs to Israel - Mike Pompeo

Jerusalem: – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a strong message that US President Donald Trump is standing firm behind Israel. Secretary of State Pompeo announced during his visit to Golan that Israel is the rightful owner of Golan Hills. At the same time, Pompeo criticised the elite professional groups in Europe and the United States, pressurising Israel to handover the Golan Hills to Syria.

Before returning to the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Golan Hills along with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Pompeo reminded of the decision taken by US President Donald Trump regarding the Golan Hills. The previous US Presidents had avoided endorsing the Israeli claim on the Golan Hills. But President Trump reassured Israel by taking an appropriate decision.

At the same time, Pompeo alleged that some influential and elite personalities and institutions are pressurising Israel to handover the Golan Hills to Syria. The US Secretary of State avoided naming any person or institution in this respect. The US Secretary of State warned that if the Golan Hills fall in the hands of Syria, it will be a threat not only to Israel but even to the western countries.

Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad criticised the visit of the US Secretary of State to Golan. Abbas accused that the visit of the US Secretary of State to Golan endorses the illegal Israeli claim on the Golan Hills. Whereas, Syrian President Assad warned that the visit of the US Secretary of State to Golan is an act of incitement against Syria.

Last year, US President Trump made the historical announcement regarding Golan Hills. Trump announced that Israel has the full sovereign rights over the Golan Hills. This announcement by the US President invited criticism from all around the world. The Assad government in Syria, along with Iran and Hezbollah, threatened to carry out attacks to free the Golan Hills from the clutches of Israel.

Just a few hours after the US Secretary of State’s visit, Israel had seized a massive haul of explosives from the Golan border. Accusing that these explosives were plated by Iran and its affiliate groups, which were making inciting moves near the Golan border, Israel carried out airstrikes on the locations of Iranian Quds forces in Syria. The Israeli media claimed that Iranian soldiers were killed in these airstrikes.

In 1967, Israel won the Golan Hills region that was under Syrian control during the Arab-Israel war. After that, Israel never gave up possession. Barack Obama, during his tenure as the President of the United States, had proposed that Israel should compromise by accepting the pre-1967 border alignments.

But Israel discarded this proposal and warned that Israel had sovereign rights over the Golan Hills.