So, Kirby established that the US is very unhappy with Assad’s human rights record and all that, but he is the current sovereign, like it or not. Then came the inevitable follow-up question.
Reporter: Could I follow-up on the issue of Syrian sovereignty? This weekend, the Israeli prime minister held a meeting in the Golan Heights, basically saying that they will never withdraw from the Golan Heights, which you recognize as occupied territory. Do you have a comment on that?
Kirby: I’m not going to react to everything that’s said at cabinet meetings. I’m also not going to react to every bit of rhetoric, as I’ve routinely not wanted to do. I would, however, reiterate that the US position on the status of the Golan Heights is longstanding and is unchanged. Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel. The conditions under which those territories are ultimately returned should be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time.
In other words, there were no lessons learned, the Israeli experience and trauma over the decades has no validity, Israel’s claim regarding the things Syrian soldiers would do to Jewish civilians if only they were given the leverage point — it means nothing to the State Dept. When the time comes and a Syrian ruler other than Assad take over, US pressure on Israel to begin negotiations on returning the Golan Heights would begin afresh, as if nothing had happened.
And this would take place regardless of who sits in the White House, because presidents come and go, but the men and women who run the State Dept. stay forever.