Golan Heights Residents Strongly Condemn Trump's Decision on Occupied Land

Ahead of a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, Trump has stated that the time has come for the United States to "fully recognize" Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967.

"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!" Trump tweeted on Thursday.

It comes day after the US State Department changed its usual description of the Golan Heights from "Israeli-occupied" to "Israeli-controlled" in an annual global human rights report.

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On Saturday, a large number of people were seen holding Syrian flags and Druze flags in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, protesting against the American leader's announcement which was even rejected by Washington's close allies, including the UK and France.

“From here we say that the Golan [Heights] is Arab and Syrian and neither Trump nor any other person can decide its fate. The word that matters the most on the Arab land of the Golan [Heights], at first and last, is the word of our heroic Syrian Arab Army,” protester Haiel Sharaf said.

“He wants to give Israel land, he can give them one or two of his states in America,” protester Adnan al-Safari stated, adding, “But al-Golan has its own occupiers, Israel or any other state cannot take it.”

The residents of the occupied Golan Heights also issued a statement on Friday denouncing Trump’s recent remark about recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the region.

“Trump’s statements on the Golan didn’t come as something new because we are aware of his support for the head of the Israeli occupation entity Benjamin Netanyahu who is passing through a political and judicial crisis,” the statement read.

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Damascus, Tehran, Moscow, Ankara have condemned Trump's call to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the strategic territory, while the European Union announced that it does not recognize the Tel Aviv regime's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The Damascus government blasted Trump’s comments on the Golan Heights as “irresponsible”, stressing that the Syrian people are determined to recover the area through “all available means”.

Syria announced last month that it is ready to go to another war with Israel in order to free its occupied territories. Damascus has repeatedly reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, saying the territory must be completely restored to its control.

Since 2011 when foreign-sponsored militancy first broke out across Syria, the Tel Aviv regime has been using Golan to prop up Takfiri terrorists.

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