In the latest White House political declaration, President Donald Trump said the United States would recognize Israeli sovereignty over previously occupied Syrian territory. "After 52 years, it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of great strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and regional stability," Trump said in a tweet on Twitter.

It is a plateau in the Levant, rising above the surrounding areas; from the top, the Mediterranean can be seen, not far from the Syrian capital Damascus. The Golan, in addition to its abundant natural resources such as water, is one of the most important strategic locations in the region.

A large part of the local population, mostly Syrian Druze, was expelled after the 1967 war, and in the decades that followed they were replaced by Jewish settlements. Israel formally annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, a measure rejected by the international community. "Israel's decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without any international legal effect," according to UN Security Council Resolution 497, which sought to reaffirm that "the acquisition of territory by force is unacceptable , In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the principles of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. "

"This is a long-awaited statement by an American president," said Jonathan Shanser, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "It is impossible to imagine that the Israelis would hand over this land to Syria, especially now that it is in a state of utter chaos and after years of atrocities committed by the Assad regime," he said.

"The Palestinians do not trust Trump's policies, and his recent statement on the Golan Heights will not shock anybody, neither in Ramallah nor in Gaza," he said. "If there is any doubt that Trump has abandoned, not only international law , And even Washington's basic political strategy, which has been around for decades about the peace process and the two-state solution, these suspicions have evaporated over the past year. "

Colonial project

"This move will not have an impact on the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Golan is not demanded by the Palestinians. It is an Israeli-Syrian issue. Even though the Palestinians are obliged to protest against any concession granted to the Israelis from the United States. "

Baroud does not agree with this, believing that this is part of a broader strategy to implement the "Century Deal" overseen by US President George W. Bush's adviser and brother-in-law Garrid Kouchner. "It is important to note that the Century Deal is not a complete American invention, Radical change of US foreign policy by removing any obstacles to the colonial project of Netanyahu's government in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. "

This action was justified by members of the US government as a reaction to the Iranian forces stationed in Syria, which the Damascus government asked for its help in the civil war.

National security adviser John Bolton said that "allowing control of the Golan Heights by the likes of the Syrian and Iranian regimes would turn a blind eye to Assad's atrocities and the destabilizing presence of Iran in the region." "Enhancing Israeli security increases our ability to fight Common threats together. " "We must support Israel's sovereignty over the Golan," said Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Bashar al-Assad allows Iran and Hezbollah to operate without accountability in southern Syria, and if the Syrian president gets the Golan, his allies will work against Israel from there as well. "

Frequent provocations

"One thing to watch for now is whether Iran is responding to this move by provoking Israel from its military positions in Syria," he said. "This theater has seen repeated provocations by Iran And Israel's responses. It is hard to imagine that Iran will allow this development. "

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was happy to hear Trump's decision and used a similar language in a tweet on Twitter. The recognition of the Golan as an Israeli territory is a historic breakthrough for the Likud Party. Its ideological founder, Zev Jabotinsky, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin were more focused on controlling the West Bank. According to the late journalist Uri Avnery, Jabotinsky's ideology was geographic. The map did not include the Sinai Peninsula, so Begin had no concerns about returning it to Egypt in 1979, nor did it include the Golan Heights, which Begin would return to Syria without hesitation.

Despite breaking away from the party's previous ideas, Netanyahu's recognition is likely to help with his approach to Israeli legislative elections in a few weeks.

On the other hand, he sees the move as a shot on the arm of Netanyahu and his Likud party, who are fighting a tough battle against Benny Gantz and his party, "White Blue."

It is logical

Baroud believes that the timing of the twinkle is logical, because it will help Netanyahu's reelection and increase the chances of the Kouchner deal succeeding. "In order to achieve the deal, it is necessary for Netanyahu to remain in power." However, the news from Israel indicates that Netanyahu faces real competition. If Netanyahu's right-wing coalition is defeated in April, a central government or left-wing alternative would complicate the scene for Kouchner, leading to undesirable delays, or even worse, canceling the deal altogether. Thus, the Trump Declaration on the Golan is often addressed to the Israeli public.

Baroud concluded that the succession of events, over the past year, was aimed at sending two messages, the first to the Palestinians, that you are completely outside the American interest, and to the Israelis: They elected Netanyahu, and you will have full and unconditional American support.

The deal of the century is not a complete American invention; it is an Israeli-American trick aimed at radically changing US foreign policy by removing any obstacles to the colonial project of the Netanyahu government in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.