At a White House meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump signed a presidential decree recognizing Israeli sovereignty on the Golan Heights.
. Recognizing the Golan Heights as part of the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/ZjEUcAi6bS
— Avi Berkowitz (@AviBerkow)
Netanyahu praised Trump and compared him to great historical leaders who were lovers of Israel, such as King Cyrus, Lord Balfour and President Harry S. Truman.
“This is a historic day,” Netanyahu said in statements to the media. The told the dignitaries who were gathered in the Oval Office about the two decades during which Syria had fired from the Golan heights at Israeli civilians, until on two glorious days in June 1967, Israel liberated the Golan Heights.
Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for “making the bond between America and Israel stronger and greater than ever.”
Netanyahu recalled Syria’s attack on Israel in 1973 in an attempt to retake the Golan Heights, and how Israel managed to repel it and within three weeks stood at the gates of Damascus..
Netanyahu also reminisced about his own experience leading his soldiers in the snow in Syria and the Golan heights.
“More than 50 years have passed since Israel won these two wars,” Netanyahu concluded, noting that until today no one had expected an American president to endorse Israel’s annexation of the height. He called Trump’s decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan an example justice that has been long due. ”
Trump said Israel had occupied the territory in 1967 in order to defend itself against external threats, stating that any future political settlement must include Israel’s security needs and its ability to defend itself.
“Under my administration, Israel-US relations have never been stronger,” Trump declared before signing his Golan proclamation.