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Reuters
WASHINGTON
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, territory Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.
Most of the world considers the Golan, a high plateau between northeastern Israel and southwestern Syria, to be occupied by Israel, which annexed the territory in 1981 in a move not recognised internationally.
During a briefing with Israeli and foreign media after meeting Trump at the White House, Netanyahu was asked whether he had raised the Golan issue."Yes," he replied.
Asked how the US president had responded, he said:"I wouldn't say that he was surprised by my request." Netanyahu did not elaborate.
Israel made a similar request to the Obama administration in 2015, but it was rejected, diplomats said at the time.
While Israel has long coveted sovereignty in the Golan, it is unclear whether the White House would take such a step now, given that it could further complicate the Syrian conflict.
If the United States were to recognise Israel's claim, it would likely anger Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran in his war with Islamist militants and rebel groups.
The Trump administration has talked about working more closely with Russia to end the Syrian conflict. Recognizing Israel's sovereignty in the Golan could undermine those efforts.
It could also spur Iran and its proxies in Syria, particularly the Lebanese Shi'ite militia Hezbollah, to turn more of their focus against Israel, targeting its forces stationed across the Golan Heights.
