On Tuesday, 2 December, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring Israel’s ongoing occupation and de facto annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights as ‘illegal’ and demanding its withdrawal to the 4 June 1967 border, which Israel retains, citing the territory’s strategic importance for national security and defense against potential threats.
The resolution, which was submitted by Egypt, received overwhelming support, passing with 123 votes in favor, seven against, and 41 abstentions.
This measure reaffirms that Israel’s 1981 decision to extend its laws and administration over the occupied Syrian Golan is “null and void” and lacks any legal validity. The resolution emphasizes that Israel must fully withdraw from the occupied territories in line with relevant Security Council resolutions.
Furthermore, it highlights that the continuation of this occupation and annexation serves as a barrier to achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, addressed the assembly prior to the vote, asserting that the occupied Syrian Golan is “Syrian land,” and affirming Syria’s right to reclaim it.
“Our country has every right to regain this land fully… This is a firm law that cannot be subject to compromise or pressure, guaranteed by international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” he stated.
Olabi called for accountability for the actions of Israeli occupation authorities and urged the UN to take immediate measures to enforce its resolutions.
The backdrop to this resolution includes recent developments following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, during which Israel reportedly expanded its occupation by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, in violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.
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