|
Trending Topics
|
With Syria in Pieces, It's Time to Recognize the Golan Heights as Part of Israel
(Jerusalem Post) Seth J. Frantzman - There is no Syria to negotiate with, Deputy Minister for Diplomacy Michael Oren said on Tuesday. "Without Israel there [in the Golan], the region would be jeopardized. ISIS would be on the Kinneret [Sea of Galilee]," he said, adding that other states in the region are glad Israel is on the Golan. Israel annexed the Golan in 1981, but the decision was never recognized internationally. Speaking at a seminar on the impact of the 1967 war, hosted by The Israel Project and the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, Oren recalled the situation Israel faced at the time. Shells rained down on Jerusalem from Jordan and Arab snipers fired from the Old City walls at Israeli civilians. The U.S. did not see Israel as a strategic ally, diplomatic relations with the Soviet bloc were bitter, and Israel lacked relations with China and India.