US President Donald Trump said it was time to back Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967, marking a dramatic shift in US policy and giving a boost to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of his re-election campaign.

Key points: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has long been pushing for the US to recognise its claim

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has long been pushing for the US to recognise its claim There were signs the decision was coming with Mike Pompeo's visit to Jerusalem

There were signs the decision was coming with Mike Pompeo's visit to Jerusalem Israel wants the contested area for security reasons, to provide a buffer between it and Syria

"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!" Mr Trump wrote on Twitter.

Recognition of the disputed area, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally, would mark a major shift in US policy days before Mr Netanyahu arrives in Washington to meet with Mr Trump.

Loading

Mr Netanyahu has been pressing for the United States to recognise its claim to sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and raised that possibility in his first White House meeting with Mr Trump in February, 2017.

Mr Trump's move was his most overt yet to help Mr Netanyahu, who faces an April 9 election and is locked in a closely contested race while battling corruption allegations, which he denies.

Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for the Golan Heights gesture, telling the US President in a phone call he had "made history".

A senior administration official said Mr Trump had been discussing his Golan move over the last few days with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House national security adviser John Bolton, senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

At the United Nations, a spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declined to comment on Mr Trump's decision.

Mike Pompeo broke with tradition by US Officials by visiting the Western Wall. ( AP: Abir Sultan )

There had been signs the US position was shifting

There had been signals a decision was coming. Last week, in its annual human rights report, the State Department dropped the phrase "Israeli-occupied" from the Golan Heights section, instead calling it "Israeli-controlled."

Mr Pompeo had earlier brushed questions about the change aside, but in comments to reporters ahead of a dinner with Mr Netanyahu and his wife at their Jerusalem home, the Secretary of State hailed the shift.

"[Mr] Trump made the decision to recognise that that hard-fought real estate, that important place, is proper to be a sovereign part of the state of Israel," Mr Pompeo said.

Mr Pompeo's presence also appeared to signal Mr Trump's support for Mr Netanyahu the political candidate.

Mr Pompeo said his trip had nothing to do with politics or US policy on Jerusalem, although for decades American officials refrained from visiting the Western Wall with Israeli leaders to avoid the appearance of recognising Israeli sovereignty over the city's most sensitive holy sites.

Loading

Israel captured east Jerusalem and the Old City in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Mr Pompeo's visit added additional obstacles to peace hopes.

"While they are claiming to be trying to solve the conflict, such acts only make it more difficult to resolve," he said.

While previous secretaries of state have traditionally met with the Palestinians when visiting the region, Mr Pompeo has no such talks planned.

Benjamin Netanyahu had pushed the US to recognise its sovereignty over the area. ( AP: Ronen Zvulun )

Why is the area contentious?

The Golan Heights were part of Syria until 1967, when Israel captured most of the area in the Six Day War, occupying it and annexing it in 1981. That unilateral annexation was not recognised internationally and Syria demands the return of the territory.

Syria tried to regain the Heights in the 1973 Middle East war, but was thwarted. Israel and Syria signed an armistice in 1974 and the Golan had been relatively quiet since.

In 2000, Israel and Syria held their highest-level talks over a possible return of the Golan and a peace agreement, but the negotiations collapsed and subsequent talks also failed.

Why does Israel want the Golan?

Security. Israel says the civil war in Syria demonstrates the need to keep the plateau as a buffer zone between Israeli towns and the instability of its neighbour.

Israel's Government says it also fears that Iran, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is seeking to establish itself permanently on the Syrian side of the border in order to launch attacks on Israel.

Both sides covet the Golan's water resources and naturally fertile soil.

Syria insists the part of the Golan held by Israel remains occupied territory and has demanded its return.

More than 40,000 people live on the Israeli-occupied Golan, more than half of them Druze residents — an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam.

About 20,000 more Israeli settlers also live there, many of them working in farming and tourism.

AP/Reuters