UK views Golan Heights as occupied territory, despite voting against Israeli withdrawal

The UK still believes the Golan Heights is occupied territory, despite being one of only eight countries to vote against a UN resolution calling for Israeli withdrawal from them.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told the JC: “Our position remains clear: The Golan Heights are occupied territory and we do not recognise Israel’s annexation of them.
We continue to call on Israel, and all actors to uphold their obligations to peace, stability, and security under international law.”

They clarified that the vote against the UN General Assembly resolution was due to the fact that one of the proponents of it was Syria.

The resolution called on Israel to “withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions” and that “the continued occupation of the Syrian Golan and its de facto annexation constitute a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region”.

The spokesperson said the resolution was “disproportionate” and “only serves to deflect attention from their (the Syrian regime’s) own criminal actions”.

The UK was one of eight other countries, including the United States and Canada, to vote against the motion on Tuesday, which was carried with 97 votes in favour, 64 abstentions and 24 non-votes.

The UK’s position on the territory contrasts with that of US president-elect Donald Trump who recognised the Golan Heights as Israeli while in office in 2019.

He tweeted at the time: “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!”

In June that year, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a new settlement in the Golan Heights named after president Trump, called Trump Heights.

Israel occupied two-thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967.

It effectively annexed the territory and incorporated it into Israel’s Northern District in December 1981, but the remainder of the international community considers it Syrian territory under occupation. 

The area has been affected by rocket attacks from Hezbollah.

Earlier this year a rocket fired at the Druze town of Majdal Shams by the Lebanese terrorist group killed 12 children playing football and around 40 others.