Turkey's Erdogan: Israel has no rights over Golan Heights

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses during campaign rally of his Justice and Development (AK) Party for March 31 local elections, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey on February 23, 2019 [Murat Kula / Anadolu Agency]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said Israel has no rights over the occupied Golan Heights.

“Under UN resolutions, Israel cannot lay claim on even a small bit of the Golan Heights,” Erdogan said at an election rally in Turkey’s central province of Konya, according to Anadolu. He added:

Trump’s remarks about the Golan Heights could lead the region to a new escalation […] This is not acceptable.

This came a day after US President Donald Trump said “it is time for the US to fully recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights”.

Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since it captured the territory from Syria in the Six Day War of 1967. It annexed the territory in 1981, but this move was unanimously rejected by the UN Security Council and international community.

Read: Turkish FM slams US decision on Golan Heights

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