Posted on 06/24/2021 7:47:52 PM PDT by MarvinStinson
State Department pushes back on signature Trump admin foreign policy decision
The Biden administration is walking back the United States' historic recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the contested Golan Heights region along Israel's northern border, a significant blow to the Jewish state and one of the Trump administration's signature foreign policy decisions.
The Trump administration declared the territory—seized by Israel from Syria in 1967 and later annexed by the country—to be wholly part of the Jewish state in 2019. Then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo took a trip to the area in 2020 and reaffirmed that America formally abandoned a decades-long policy of considering the area occupied.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken first raised questions about the Biden administration's view on the matter in February, when he would not say if his State Department continues to abide by the former administration's decision. At the time, Blinken would only say the Golan Heights "remains of real importance to Israel's security," but that its formal status remains unclear. Pressed on the issue by the Washington Free Beacon, a State Department official said the territory belongs to no one and control could change depending on the region's ever-shifting dynamics.
The shift in policy is already causing outrage among Republican lawmakers who backed the Trump administration's decision and hoped to see it continue. It is also likely to rankle Israeli leaders of all political stripes, the plurality of whom say the Golan Heights is absolutely vital to Israel's security in light of persistent threats from the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon and other militant forces stationed in war-torn Syria.
"The secretary was clear that, as a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel's security," a State Department official told the Free Beacon. "As long as [Bashar al-Assad] is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself—all of these pose a significant security threat to Israel, and as a practical matter, the control of the Golan remains of real importance to Israel's security."
Recognizing Israel's control as a "practical matter," however, falls far short of the formal policy change ordered by the Trump administration, which became the first government to recognize Israel's complete control over the territory. As it stands now, U.S. policy on the matter is unclear, at best.
Pompeo, who was central to formulating and advancing the Trump administration's decision on the Golan Heights, told the Free Beacon that the current administration is jeopardizing Israel's security at a time when Iran-backed militants continue to plot attacks on the country's northern cities.
"The Golan Heights are not occupied by Israel, they are a part of it. The Israelis have a right to it as sovereign land," Pompeo told the Free Beacon. "To suggest that these lands should be returned to Syria, even if conditioned on changes in the Syrian regime, is inconsistent with both Israeli security and the international law."
The State Department's "suggestion that if Assad falls and the Iranians leave Syria, the Golan Heights should be given to Syria misreads history and misreads the eternal security needs of the state of Israel," Pompeo said.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.), who introduced a bill earlier this year to lock in the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, told the Free Beacon that it is now incumbent on GOP leaders in Congress to stop the Biden administration from reversing the recognition.
"These comments [from the State Department] should serve as a call to action," Gallagher said. "It's time to pass legislation I've introduced with Senator [Ted] Cruz [(R., Texas)] that ensures that the U.S. will continue to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, regardless of who is in the White House."
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.), who pressed United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on the Golan issue during a congressional hearing on June 16, said the Biden administration is being intentionally vague about its policy, generating pressing questions on the international stage.
"I pressed UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing about the administration’s position on recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and she acknowledged that the Trump administration policy recognizing Israeli sovereignty is unchanged as of now," Zeldin said after reviewing the State Department's most recent comments on the matter. "However, Secretary Blinken and the Biden Administration need to stop beating around the bush, and unambiguously commit to maintain recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights permanently."
Former U.S. diplomats who worked on the Golan Heights issue also expressed concern over the Biden administration's comments to the Free Beacon. David Milstein, former special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to Israel under Trump, said walking back U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the area signals "an unconscionable betrayal of our close ally Israel."
"Our allies depend upon the United States keeping its commitments," Milstein told the Free Beacon. "But now Secretary Blinken has re-injected the dangerous and delusional idea the U.S. could support pressuring Israel to give up the Golan Heights in the future."
"In one of the most dangerous regions that can go from bad to worse in an instant, the Golan Heights is crucial for Israel's security, providing a strategically necessary defensible border to help Israel counter threats to its north," Milstein said. "This is why there is clear support across Israel's political spectrum for Israel forever maintaining sovereignty over the Golan Heights."
Patience.
But they did attack the Zionist entity and as a result the Zionists turned on the only innocent people in the area, the Palestinians, and have oppressed them for thousands of years! (/Hamas)
Francis is the False Prophet who introduces the Beast to the World.
You need not have an embassy in a country you are planning to not recognize anymore.
For a hard-core Catholic he has forgotten:
“God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who curse Israel.”
Yeah, Israel isn’t suicidal.
But Biden representing America is.
He is aligning us with the wrong people.
Only a fool would ever give it back to Syria.
Israel will never give it up as it would make the water system for the entire country vulnerable.
Evil idiot. And to no consequence either. Just embarrassing himself is all. Israrl will exist and thrive long after trash like this are gone
Biden has nothing to do with the real Rome.
Biden has nothing to do with Catholicism.
Treason is in season, all year round.
Thanks Joe. You just gave any Republican candidate who is pro-Israel another 100,000 former Democrat voters.
Pretty soon he, Blinken, Milley, Kamaltoe, etc. will give Jerusalem back to the descendants of the pro-Nazi Grand Mufti Huseanni.
.....”The best things in my lifetime that happened in the country of a political nature happened in the past 4 years, .......
Yep exactly. ....rant accepted!
Bidens worse than Rhino’s are to Republicans being called a catholic....and he can’t even do ‘lip service’ without a split tongue.
The stinking odor of Obama coming from this administration fills the air!
[snip] Secretary of State Antony Blinken first raised questions about the Biden administration's view on the matter in February, when he would not say if his State Department continues to abide by the former administration's decision. At the time, Blinken would only say the Golan Heights "remains of real importance to Israel's security," but that its formal status remains unclear. Pressed on the issue by the Washington Free Beacon, a State Department official said the territory belongs to no one and control could change depending on the region's ever-shifting dynamics.
The shift in policy is already causing outrage among Republican lawmakers who backed the Trump administration's decision and hoped to see it continue. It is also likely to rankle Israeli leaders of all political stripes, the plurality of whom say the Golan Heights is absolutely vital to Israel's security in light of persistent threats from the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon and other militant forces stationed in war-torn Syria.
"The secretary was clear that, as a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel's security," a State Department official told the Free Beacon. "As long as [Bashar al-Assad] is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself—all of these pose a significant security threat to Israel, and as a practical matter, the control of the Golan remains of real importance to Israel's security." [/snip]
"...and that's why we're doing this -- we want Israel destroyed." Thanks GOPJ.
The US State Department Near Eastern Affairs office:
“U.S. policy regarding the Golan has not changed, and reports to the contrary are false.”
Next he’ll move the embassy back to Tel Aviv, reverse Harry Truman’s recognition of the new State of Israel, reverse the Balfour Declaration and League of Nations establishment of the Mandate, and then re-constitute the Ottoman Empire. What wonders won’t the Stolen Administration wreak upon the world. Bow down and Worship Joseph Stolen, god of doddering ancientsy (sick [sic]) and retroactive non-diplomacy.
The Kenyan-born muzzie went around to a number of different coreligionists' regimes and blew smoke up their asses, then engineered a massive jihadist uprising in many places stretching from Nigeria and northern and eastern Africa through Yemen, Syria -- all for the benefit of his Iranian ally.
Turkey, the buttplug between the Middle East and Europe/Russia, could be the key to the current situation.
Iran's bleeding out in Syria led to Putin's jumping headlong into that quagmire, and Erdogan (who by that time realized he'd been in over his head) shifted alliances, but is still stupid and/or gullible enough to attempt a double game vs Greece.
Biden's handlers are clearly not working for us, and will destroy more regimes in the Middle East before much longer. The long-running lawfare and media smears against Bibi have led to an alliance of ciphers in power in Jerusalem, but ultimately even they are not so stupid as to try to lead Israel off a cliff.
Biden's thugs destroy what's good and nurture evil...
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