ADDS COMMENTS FROM SYRIAN REPRESENTATIVE TO UN
By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday that declares Israel’s continued occupation and de facto annexation of the Syrian Golan "illegal" and demands its withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 line.
The draft resolution, which was penned by Egypt, was approved with 123 votes in favor, seven against and 41 abstentions.
The resolution declares that the Israeli decision of Dec. 14, 1981 to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is "null and void and has no validity whatsoever."
It "demands once more that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions" and determines 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."
Addressing the UN General Assembly ahead of the voting, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, said the occupied Syrian Golan is “Syrian land” and stressed that Damascus has the full right to reclaim it from Israel.
“Our country has every right to regain this land fully and until the 4 June 1967 lines. This is a firm law that cannot be subject to compromise or pressure and has no statute of limitations. It is guaranteed by international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” he added.
He said Syria “will continue to exercise its legitimate right to defend its land and its people using all means necessary, as guaranteed by international law.”
“My country calls for holding accountable the Israeli occupation authorities for all the crimes, and we call for working to guarantee that they do not go with impunity,” he said, urging the UN to take “immediate measures” to implement its resolutions.
After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.
*Contributions by Rabia Iclal Turan.