On June 6, 2018, a conference dealing with the international recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights was held in the Knesset
The conference title was “The World with the Golan”, in which the importance of promoting international recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights was discussed. The conference was initiated by Yesh Atid Party and was participated by: Deputy Prime Minister of Defense Eli Ben Dahan and MKs Akram Hasson, Yehuda Glick, Revital Sweid, Meir Cohen, Mickey Levy, Karin Elharar, Ofer Shelah, Haim Yellin, Aliza Lavi and Pnina Tamano Shata. Uzi Arad, former head of the National Security Council in the Prime Minister’s Bureau, Eli Malka, head of the Golan Regional Council; Dmitry Efretzev, head of the Katzrin council; And Isaac Zarfati, CEO of the Coalition for the Israeli Golan.
The first speaker was Yesh Atid party leader, MK Yair Lapid, who emphasized the importance and opportunity created to promote international sovereignty recognition:
“I initiated this conference because the State of Israel has a rare window of opportunity to bring broad international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, first in the United States, Republicans and Democrats together, later in the European Union and other countries.”
Eli Malka, head of the Golan Regional Council, emphasized the importance of the Israeli civilian presence in the Golan Heights:
“The fact that we have moved to the Golan and turned the bunkers into cities and minefields for vineyards and orchards is not only to ensure the security of the Galilee and the water sources, but to ensure the very existence of the State of Israel. The world’s recognition on that, as part of the arrangement in Syria, will ensure absolute peace that can prevail throughout the region.”
Isaac Zarfati, CEO of the Coalition for the Israeli Golan said:
“Israel must define the international recognition of its sovereignty over the Golan Heights and the multiplication of the population as national strategy. The real strategic response to Iran’s establishment in Syria is an American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A supreme effort must be made to bring such recognition in President Trump’s term, both as a presidential decision and as a symbolic act of Congress. Israel must not be satisfied with “restoring the situation to its former status” on the Golan border and we should be prepared for a reality in which international pressure for withdrawal may arise.”
