Why Trump Endorses Occupation of Golan Heights

To continue more than half a century of US policy on Israel’s occupations and annexations in the wake of the 1967 War, President Donald Trump has gone onto Twitter to publicly endorse Israel’s permanent occupation of the Golan Heights, which is legally part of Syria.

News ID: 444000

Date: 23 March 2019 - 10:52

RNA - Israel occupied Syria’s Golan Heights in 1967. The US, and the rest of the world, never recognized the annexation, but considered it part of Syria under military occupation. Trump now says the US recognizes Israel’s “Sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” calling it critical for “Regional Stability”.

While on the surface this is just another in a long line of mostly meaningless concessions to show how pro-Zionist and anti-Muslim he is, the timing also comes across as a cynical political ploy, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo already in Israel to visit Netanyahu, who faces reelection in just three weeks.

Polls show a very close race, with Netanyahu’s far-right coalition struggling to retain power against a more centrist bloc. Since Netanyahu asked for Golan and got it, the optics of this are Trump very much trying to swing the election in favor of the Likud far-right coalition, which he has long favored.

This should come as no surprise to anyone. After all, Netanyahu has always said Tel Aviv will never return the occupied Golan Heights to Syria, and that the world should recognize that.

In his words, “The Golan Heights will remain in the hands of Israel forever. Israel will never withdraw from the Golan Heights.”

This policy has helped Israel to build tens of illegal settlements in the area and even used it to carry out military operations against Syria. This is while the 'Occupation Law' clearly calls for the preservation of the role of the Syrians in governing their own lands and country and facilitates the eventual transfer of all such authority back to the Syrian people.

Moreover, Trump’s endorsement of Israel’s permanent occupation of the Golan Heights does not pass to the occupying power. So, it’s irrelevant for Trump to argue that some 50,000 Israelis are living there and can stay there. It’s a false debate. However, there are many other reasons why Trump backs the Israeli occupation of Golan:

- It is because of the failure of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that Israel is still able to steal land in broad daylight, with great impunity and no accountability. It is true that the UNSC has issued many resolutions against Tel Aviv. It is also true that all these resolutions have been vetoed by the United States. The result has only emboldened Tel Aviv to steal even more territory without fear of any punishment.

- The international community always condemns the atrocities committed by Israel, such as attacks on civilians, the inhumane blockade of Gaza, destruction of Palestinian homes, the settlement construction in the West Bank, violation of the Islamic identity of Jerusalem Al-Quds, and the illegal seizure of Palestinian territories. The problem is that all these beautiful words have never been followed by action - even though the Israeli policies are in clear violation of all international principles, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.

- The Israeli army has been committing a host of crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine and throughout the Middle East. Despite that, not even one Israeli soldier or commander has ever faced any charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague - in which Israel isn’t a member. Sure enough, it is Washington (also not an ICC member) that "admittedly' and officially stops any attempt at the UNSC or in The Hague to criminalize Israel’s endless war on Palestinians, not only because it will have serious political consequences for the Official Washington by the Israeli lobby — but because America’s military may well be next in the crosshairs.

- What Israel is doing to Palestine and the rest of the region differs little from the US and NATO armies or those of regional allies. As long as the ICC refuses to deal with the complaints of US-NATO-Saudi war crimes in Yemen, there is little hope that it will ever decide to go after the Israeli case of Golan Heights.

- The ICC’s power to act arises only in two relevant circumstances: First by a reference from the UNSC, which is sure to be blocked by the US. Then there is the alternative basis for empowering the ICC prosecutor: Syria has signed the ICC treaty and can require the prosecutor to investigate Israeli crimes. So far under pressure from the US, efforts made by the Syrian – and Palestinian - leaders have failed to produce results. The US has long been using a variety of means to influence the ICC and has recently even resorted to intemediation, sanctions and threats against the international court.

According to Fars News Agancy, it is against this backdrop that Trump says the Golan Heights belong to Israel and that Washington endorses its infinite occupation. It is also obvious that Trump is breaching the Geneva conventions and failing to observe the minimum standards of humanity, all because the UNSC and the ICC offer no prospect of any accountability at all.

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