Trump signals support for Israel in Golan Heights dispute

President Donald Trump late on Thursday signaled a potential shift in the U.S. stance toward the disputed Golan Heights territory between Israel 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!” he tweeted. No nation has yet recognized Israel’s claim on the territory it captured from Syria in 1967 and officially annexed in 1981. International efforts to aid negotiations between the two countries have not succeeded.

The statement along with Trump’s previous remarks and actions in support of Israel could boost Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position as he runs for election in April. “The message that President Trump has given the world is that America stands by Israel,” Netanyahu said during a news conference Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem.

The Syrian government called the tweet “irresponsible,” saying it threatens international peace and stability. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said Trump’s “personal and arbitrary decisions” could send the region into a new crisis.