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."
