Saudi Arabia has condemned the Trump administration’s recognition of the occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory, Saudi Press Agency said Tuesday, cited by Reuters.

“Attempts to impose fait accompli do not change the facts”, the statement said as quoted by Reuters. The Golan Heights was an “occupied Syrian Arab land in accordance with the relevant international resolutions […] It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region”, the statement stressed.

The Saudi Press Agency, cited by Reuters, described Monday’s declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law.

Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation formally recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights is a border area that Israel annexed from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War. The United Nations has recognized by the United Nations as Syrian territory.

Russia, Syria, Iran, Turkey and other countries have condemned the United States’ proclamation regarding the Golan Heights. Major US allies such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom have refused to back the US decision.

In 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution urging Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from the area after the country organized local elections in the area on 30 October.

The US U-turn on Golan follows another highly controversial Israel-related move in 2017, when Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the country’s capital, which was met with a global backlash and prompted Palestine to refuse to accept the United States as the primary mediator in peace talks with Israel.



