UN demands occupation annul Golan annexation decision…al-Jaafari stresses right to fully restore occupied Golan

New York – The UN demanded that Israel comply with the international legitimacy’s resolutions on the occupied Syrian Golan, particularly the Security Council resolution no. 497 of 1981 that declared Israel’s decision to impose its laws and jurisdiction on the Golan as “null and void and without international legal effect”, SANA reported.

The UN’s demand came during the General Assembly’s seventieth session held Tuesday at which the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution on “The occupied Syrian Golan”.

An overwhelming majority of the delegations of state members voted in favor of the resolution, in whose preparation 35 states took part, which shows the great international support given to the issue of fully restoring Golan to the line of June 4th, 1967.

 The resolution provided that Israel immediately cancel its decision on annexing the occupied Syrian Golan and declared all the legislative and administrative measures and procedures that Israel has taken or will take to the effect of changing the features and the legal status of the Golan are “null and void”.

These measures, the resolution said, constitute a flagrant violation of the international law and Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and have no legal effect.

The resolution demanded that Israel desist from imposing the Israeli citizenship and Israeli identity cards on the Syrian citizens in the Golan and stop its repressive measures against its population, calling on all UN member states to not recognize any of the Israeli measures and procedures in the Golan that are in violation of the international law.

Following the adoption of the resolution, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said in a statement that Syria maintains its right to restore the occupied Golan fully and with all legitimate means enshrined in the UN Charter and the international law.

He added that the UN member states’ support for the resolution sent a clear message to Israel that it is merely no more than an occupying authority and that its occupation and human rights violations are unacceptable and must end immediately.

With the Israeli delegation being the only one to vote against the resolution, it has proved the isolation of the Israeli policies at the UN, with this isolation being the best legal punishment for Israel over its continued occupation of the Syrian Golan, al- Jaafari said.

Thanking the countries which voted in favor of the resolution, al-Jaafari also underlined that a small number of delegations abstained from voting, calling upon them to join the international consensus later by voting in the resolution’s favor when it will be put forth to the General Assembly in the coming days.