Iraq officially rejects U.S. recognition of Golan Heights as part of Israel
President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on, Washington, D.C., March 25, 2019.AP/Susan Walsh
Tunis (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim has officially reiterated his country’s rejection of the U.S. proclamation to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights.
The top Iraqi diplomat made the remarks Friday during his participation in the preparatory meetings for the 30th Arab League Summit, scheduled to be held on Sunday in Tunisia, Almaalomah news website quoted Ahmed al-Sahhaf, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, as saying.
During the meeting, Alhakim decried a previous U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as “capital of the Zionist entity.”
Trump had signed a decree on Monday to recognize the Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu called Trump’s decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights “historic justice” and a “diplomatic victory,” saying that “Israel won the Golan Heights in a just war of defense.”
On Wednesday, the European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini released a statement on behalf of all 28 union states saying the EU “does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.”
The statement came in response to Netanyahu’s past claims that his actions were going to break EU unanimity in matters concerning Israel.