JERUSALEM
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday called on the international community to legitimize Israel’s annexation of the occupied Golan Heights.
The area, a part of Syrian territory, was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and was annexed in 1981. The move sparked criticism of Israel and the annexation of the Golan Heights into Israeli territory has not been internationally recognized.
“I call the international community to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Naftali Bennett said. “Enough with this hypocrisy. If we had given up the Golan Heights, ISIS [Daesh] would have been swimming in the Sea of Galilee.”
Following the Six-Day War, UN Security Council Resolution 242 was adopted to establish the principles for setting Israel’s borders and the withdrawal from territories conquered in 1967, including the Golan Heights.
