US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday reiterated his support to a decision made by President Donald Trump to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
“We’re simply recognizing facts on the ground and the reality and doing the right thing,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.
Asked about the stances expressed by several states in rejecting the Golan recognition, he said: “We are continuing to have conversations with ... each of them about this issue, about our decision and why we believe this is fundamentally the right decision as well.”
Trump signed a proclamation Monday in which Washington recognized Israel's annexation of the strategic plateau, despite UN resolutions that call for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territory.
Pompeo said Trump’s decision on the Golan is similar to his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“Israel was fighting a defensive battle to save its nation, and it cannot be the case that a UN resolution is a suicide pact,” he said in response to a question on whether the US was setting a precedent that powerful countries can actually overtake land over international law.
