Secretary Linken said the Golan Heights is of significant security importance to Israel, emphasizing that President Assad’s administration and the presence of Iran – backed militias pose a danger to Israel. But despite the security logic underlying Israeli control of the territory, Blinkan made it clear that the issue of sovereignty over the territory remained a legal question.
“As a matter of fact, I think that control of the Golan Heights in the current situation remains of great importance to Israel’s security,” Blinken said in an interview with CNN, emphasizing that “legal questions are a different matter, and over time, if the situation in Syria changed, it should be examined “But we are not close to that.”
Blinken’s current statement, which takes a significantly different position from the one promoted by the previous administration, comes after less than two years ago, former US President Donald Trump announced that the US recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. As is well known, Israel took over the territories of the Golan Heights after the Six Day War in 1967 and applied state laws in December 1981 with the “Golan Heights Law”.
Waiting for the call
At the same time, Blinken was asked during the interview about the reason why President Joe Biden has not yet spoken to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. Secretary of State responded that he “is sure they will have an opportunity to talk in the near future.”
This question was asked after both Washington and Jerusalem wondered when the first conversation between Netanyahu and Biden would take place, since Biden had already spoken to a number of leaders from around the world and since his predecessors in office – Trump and Obama – spoke with Netanyahu a few days after their inauguration. Blinkan also noted that he himself has already held several talks with his Israeli counterpart in office, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.