Israel still hopes US recognize annexation of Golan Heights: Netanyahu

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that his country still hopes the United States will recognize its annexation of the Golan Heights, after a US official said the issue is not on the White House's agenda.

Israel occupied much of the Syrian Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it shortly later, claiming it part of Israel, in a move never recognized internationally.

The Israeli government hoped that the United States would follow the 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel with a recognition of the annexation of the Golan Heights.

In May, Israel's Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz said the United States is expected to endorse the Israeli claim for sovereignty over the territory.

However, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said during his visit to Israel this week that "there's no discussion of it, no decision within the US government."

Netanyahu said, according to a statement by his office, he won't give up on expectation in light of Bolton's remark.

(Cover: An Israeli soldier rides on a tank during a military exercise, in the Israeli-annexed-Golan Heights near the Syrian border on August 7, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency