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Of Course the U.S. Should Recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights

(Washington Free Beacon) Aaron Kliegman - Remember when the Middle East was supposed to explode in December 2017, after President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel? Yet, life continued in the Middle East as it had the day before. 15 months later, the same voices are calling for another catastrophe after U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. "Trump's Golan tweet inflames regional tensions as Syria vows to recover the strategic plateau," read one headline in the Washington Post. But as with Jerusalem, the same anti-Israel - and in most cases anti-American - regimes made the same threats that they make normally. In 2011, when the Syrian conflict began, Iran deeply entrenched its forces and its proxies in Syria, while Sunni jihadist groups like the Islamic State spread throughout the country. Israel recognized the obvious reality: if Syria regained control of the Golan, Israel's worst enemies would be in prime position to attack. With its strategic line of volcanic hills, the Golan gives Israel an absolutely essential topographical advantage. Moreover, Mount Hermon provides the Israeli military critical intelligence. Ceding the Golan to Syria now would be suicidal, allowing the likes of ISIS and Iran to target tens of thousands of Israelis. Israel has controlled the Golan for 52 years, and no Israeli government will ever give up the territory. So Trump's decision changes nothing; it just puts a stop to any delusional notions that the U.S. would pressure Israel to cede the Golan. Now the U.S. has made a statement that will deter Israel's adversaries from trying to conquer the Golan.
2019-03-29 00:00:00
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