Should Israel leave Golan Heights?

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Europe

01:47

Tensions between Israel and Gaza remain high. The Israeli Prime Minister is warning Gaza of more military action after a Palestinian rocket was fired into Israel.

As many continue to die on the Gaza border, there are fears of another war.

"It is difficult to see what could unite the Palestinians," said Omar Baddar, adding that "it is unclear to see what strategy to be pursued, and I think that a lot of people right now are moving toward more international attempts at isolating Israel through a campaign of boycott demanding sanctions and divestment."

Dan Arbell commented on who will be the next prime minister in the upcoming election, saying that if Netanyahu gets elected again, the situation is unlikely to change. Omar agreed with the view as history indicates that the Israeli policy is likely to continue.

Earlier this week at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump formally recognized Israel's sovereignty over the long-disputed Golan Heights that Syria has been demanding back from its loss in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Netanyahu applauded Trump and said, "President Trump again made history." Yet there is little support in the international community. Russia and the UN criticized the act as a violation of international law, and Syria said that it will further isolate the U.S. on the world stage.

Simcha Rothman, a legal adviser for The Israeli Movement for Governability and Democracy, supported Trump's decision as a brave act. In his opinion, Syria should rethink of its capacity to maintain security on the territory while the country has been suffering political instability, and the land should belong to the country that is more capable of managing it.

Mohamed Ali, a Press TV correspondent in Syria, said that Trump does not have the right or legal capacity to legitimize occupation and take someone else's land by force.

The question remains to look at the territory's ownership from the perspective of international law or security.

Simcha said that there was never a border between Israel and Syria, hence the inapplicability of international law in this case.

Mohamed responded by exemplifying the failure of negotiations between the two countries over the years, that a peace agreement could not be settled because Israel wanted both peace and land.

“Eventually they are Syrians. This is a land that has been occupied by force,” said Mohamed, adding that the residents of the Golan Heights are still sticking with their Syrian identities. As reports indicate that there were oil and gas found inside, he suggested natural resources are also a reason behind Israel's control.

An expert on Palestinian and human rights issues Moien Odeh agreed with Mohamed's opinion that one day, the Golan Heights should be returned to Syria.

In response to an article by New York Times, suggesting the move as a “gift” to Netanyahu in the upcoming election, Simcha pointed out that the territory's recognition is a consensus between both Left and Right parties in Israel.

He believes that stronger Israel would only mean more security and prevent extremist groups on this land.

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