New York, Dec. 3 (SANA)The UN General Assembly early Wednesday adopted a resolution affirming that Israel’s continued occupation and annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan is illegal and calling on Israel to withdraw to the June 4, 1967 line.
A total of 123 states voted in favor of the draft resolution submitted by Egypt, while Israel and six countries opposed it. Another 41 states abstained.
The resolution reiterates that Israel’s 14 December 1981 decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction, and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and has no legal effect. It also demands that Israel withdraw from the territory in implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ibrahim Al-Olabi, told the Syrian Ikhbariyah TV channel that the General Assembly witnessed “an important event” as 123 countries supported the resolution for the first time.
“This vote and the UN resolution show that Syria, despite all challenges, has never abandoned its right to the Golan,” he said, adding that Syria’s renewed diplomatic engagement contributed to shifting the positions of more than 26 countries compared with last year’s vote.
Al-Olabi praised Egypt for its continued sponsorship of the resolution over the years, and acknowledged the states that have consistently supported it as well as those that joined the majority this year.
He reaffirmed that talks with Israel do not address in any form the status of the occupied Syrian Golan, stating that the Golan is Syrian Arab land and that Syria’s position on this issue remains unchanged.
The ambassador also noted that past talks between Syria and Israel had taken place under the follow-up of former U.S. President Donald Trump, within efforts to address security concerns of both sides.
