The United States voted on Friday against an annual United Nations resolution that condemns Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights.
The non-binding resolution was adopted in a General Assembly committee by a vote of 151 to 2, with the United States and Israel the only two countries opposing the measure. Fourteen countries abstained.
Friday’s vote marked a break from Washington’s habitual abstention from the vote. The US has abstained in previous years on the annual “Occupied Syrian Golan” resolution, which declares Israel’s decision to impose its jurisdiction in the area “null and void”.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley called the resolution "useless" and "plainly biased against Israel," citing concerns about Iran's military role in Syria to oppose the measure.
"Further, the atrocities the Syrian regime continues to commit prove its lack of fitness to govern anyone. The destructive influence of the Iranian regime inside Syria presents major threats to international security," she said in a statement on the eve of the vote.
“The United States will no longer abstain when the United Nations engages in its useless annual vote on the Golan Heights.”
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon applauded the US shift, which he said was "another testament to the strong cooperation between the two countries."
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called it “extremely important”, saying on Twitter that “no sane person can believe that it (the Golan) should be given to Assad & Iran”.
The administration of President Donald Trump has taken a strong pro-Israeli stance, defying UN resolutions by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and cutting aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Ahead of the vote, US diplomat Samantha Sutton said the US position on the status of the Golan Heights had not changed, but added that the resolution was out of touch with the situation on the ground.
"This resolution does nothing to address the increasing militarization of the Golan and the serious threats that confront Israel from Iran and Hezbollah's presence in the area," said Sutton.
The resolution was adopted by the assembly's fourth committee on decolonization.
The Golan Heights form a buffer between Israel and Syria of about 1,200 square km (460 square miles). Israel captured most of it from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed the territory in 1981, a move not recognized internationally.
