Arab League condemns Trump's decision on occupied Golan

<p>By Mohamed al-Rayes</p> <p>CAIRO (AA) – The Arab League on Monday denounced U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.</p> <p>&quot;The American announcement does not change the legal status of the Golan in any way,&quot; the Cairo-based league said in a statement.</p> <p>&quot;The Golan Heights remains occupied Syrian territory,&quot; it added. &quot;All this will be addressed at next week’s [Arab League] summit in Tunisia.&quot;</p> <p>The league goes on to assert that &quot;Legitimization of the [Israeli] occupation is the new orientation of U.S. policy… which has become fully compatible with the positions and desires of Israel.&quot;</p> <p>Tel Aviv had long lobbied Washington to recognize its claim to the occupied Golan Heights, but previous U.S. administrations had refrained from doing so, citing earlier UN resolutions.</p> <p>Israel has occupied roughly two-thirds of the wider Golan Heights region since its 1967 conflict with Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.</p> <p>In 1981, the self-proclaimed Jewish state formally annexed the territory in a move unanimously rejected at the time by the UN Security Council. </p> <p>The UN, for its part, says the legal status of the Golan Heights remains unchanged — despite Trump’s announcement — and will still be considered &quot;occupied territory&quot; under international law.</p>