US move does not change fact that Golan is occupied Syrian territory — Safadi

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday said that the Golan Heights are occupied Syrian territory, as stipulated by all international legitimacy resolutions that clearly ban the forceful annexation of land. 

Following the US' decision to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Safadi said that Jordan’s stance is firm and clear in rejecting Israel's annexation of the occupied Golan.

The minister said that Jordan rejects any unilateral decision that would escalate tension in the region, highlighting the need for the international community to abide by the international legitimacy resolutions, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

He added that this proclamation does not change the fact that the occupied Golan is  Syrian territory, noting that achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace requires ending the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

He stressed that the international community’s stance on the Golan Heights was evident, referring to the 1981 UN Security Council Resolution 497, which rejects Israel’s annexation of the occupied Golan.

Furthermore, he affirmed the illegality of Israel’s administrative and unlawful control over the territory and its enforcement of Israeli law in the occupied Syrian Golan and deemed the Israeli decision null and void, according to the statement.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, US President Donald Trump declared on Monday that “the Golan Heights belongs to Israel”, and signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territory.