World ( The cow news digital )
WASHINGTON — Israel’s continued control over the Golan Heights constitutes an illegal occupation that violates United Nations resolutions and international law, US Special Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barak stated during a press briefing in Washington.
Addressing reporters, Barak reiterated the stance anchored in global legal frameworks, confirming that international consensus recognizes the Golan Heights as sovereign Syrian territory. He highlighted that Israel remains an occupying power in direct defiance of UN mandates and the broader rules-based international order.
Israel seized the strategic plateau from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1981, Israel unilaterally extended its law, jurisdiction, and administration over the territory—a move that triggered immediate global condemnation.
In response to the annexation, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 497 in December 1981. The resolution declared Israel’s imposition of its laws over the Golan Heights “null and void and without international legal effect,” demanding that Israel rescind its decision. To date, the vast majority of the international community and the UN refuse to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the region.
The envoy’s remarks follow heightened diplomatic focus on the territory. Earlier this year, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani addressed a Security Council session, reiterating Damascus’s long-standing demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal. Al-Shaibani called for the full implementation of Resolution 497, insisting that Israeli forces retreat to the pre-June 4, 1967 armistice lines.
Despite diplomatic pressure, Israel maintains its administrative and military presence in the area, arguing its necessity for national defense and regional stability. However, international observers and legal bodies continue to view the status of the Golan Heights as an unresolvable obstacle to regional peace until international law is upheld.
