Netanyahu inaugurates illegal settlement in honor of Trump in occupied Golan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has inaugurated a new illegal settlement in the occupied Golan Heights in honor of US President Donald Trump.

News ID: 445451

Date: 17 June 2019 - 15:24

RNA - The Israeli premier unveiled a "Trump Heights" sign on Sunday to show gratitude towards Trump’s recognition of the Syrian territory as belonging to the regime against the international community’s consensus.

"The Golan is Israeli and will remain so always," claimed the hawkish prime minister at the ceremony, describing Trump as "a very great friend of Israel who has taken a decision that has never before been taken."

The US president also took to Twitter to thank Netanyahu and welcome the move, calling it a “great honor.”

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Israel's cabinet were also present at the event, with the American envoy calling the measure an “extraordinary gesture."

On March 25, Trumped signed a proclamation, formally recognizing Israel's sovereignty over Golan Heights.

Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in a statement, called the US decision a “blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Syria.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War and later occupied it in a move that has never been recognized by the international community. The regime has built dozens of settlements in the area ever since and has used the region to carry out a number of military operations against the Syrian government.

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