Is 1948 All Over Again?
Arab Allies Launch Global Campaign to Force Israel To Withdrawal from the Golan
Syria launches diplomatic campaign demanding Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights, backed by four nations at UN. Israel remains firm on maintaining sovereignty over strategic territory.
Syria, with backing from Turkey and several Arab states, has launched a significant diplomatic campaign demanding international recognition of its sovereignty over the Golan Heights and a complete Israeli withdrawal. The aggressive political push comes even as parallel, low-level security talks between Israel and Syria reportedly continue.
Israel, which annexed the strategic plateau in 1981 and secured U.S. recognition of its sovereignty under a 2019 presidential proclamation by Donald Trump, remains defiant. A senior Israeli political source emphasized: “We will not give up a single centimeter of the Golan.”
Aggressive Stance at the UN Security Council
The Syrian campaign was dramatically highlighted by the aggressive speech delivered at the UN Security Council on Friday by Syrian Representative Ibrahim Olabi.
Olabi escalated accusations against Israel, claiming it initiated military incidents, violated the post-Yom Kippur War disengagement agreement, and infringed upon Syrian sovereignty. He called on the UN and the Security Council to take "firm action" to halt Israeli operations.
Olabi did not stop there, issuing a direct demand:
"Israeli authorities must withdraw their forces from Syrian territory, including the occupied Syrian Golan, and from areas where recent incursions have taken place, and refrain from intervening in Syria's internal affairs. The Golan will remain Arab and Syrian, and it will never be subject to compromise or concession... Syria reaffirms its unwavering position that the occupied Golan Heights is an integral part of its sovereign territory, a position rooted in international law and repeatedly supported by UN resolutions."
Four Nations Join Syrian Call
The Syrian position was immediately bolstered by four non-permanent members of the Security Council: Algeria, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Guyana.
In a formal letter to the Council, Guyana declared that the
“Zionist occupation of the Syrian Golan, along with the security challenges arising from the illegal presence of the (Zionist) army in these areas, constitute a significant challenge to Syria's general stability and complicate efforts for state reconstruction.”
Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amar Bendjama, presented the letter and added:
"We reaffirm that the occupied Syrian Golan is an integral part of Syria, as stipulated in Security Council Resolution 497. We demand an immediate end to the (Zionist) aggression and a full withdrawal from all Syrian territory, including the occupied Syrian Golan."
Concerns Over Israeli 'Negligence'
The diplomatic offensive has sparked concern in Jerusalem over potential long-term strategic costs. Former Knesset Member Tzvi Hauser, Chairman of the Forum for the Golan, accused Israel of “historic negligence” for not conditioning the stabilization of the new Syrian regime on a renunciation of claims to the Golan.
Hauser warned that ignoring the issue could "allow the formulation of international pressure to withdraw from the Golan in the not-too-distant future," leading to heavy strategic prices.
Israeli Response: No Apologies, No Concessions
An Israeli diplomatic source clarified that Jerusalem has no intention of yielding "even a centimeter in the Golan Heights," nor will it cease its military presence inside Syrian territory as long as it is deemed necessary for Israel's security. Another political official suggested that Syria's current campaign is likely an attempt to gain leverage in the ongoing, but sluggish, security talks with Israel.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, was uncompromising in his response to the Syrian accusations.
"A regime that massacres its own people and allows Iran and Hezbollah to operate from its territory has lost all moral right to lecture Israel," Danon stated. "Israel will not apologize for defending its citizens and will not ignore Iranian attempts to entrench itself on the northern border."