Damascus Urges UN to Condemn Israeli Cabinet Golan Heights Meeting

The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent two separate letters to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for the condemnation of the Israeli government's Sunday meeting held in the occupied Golan Heights internationally recognized as Syrian territory.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Syrian Foreign Ministry has called on the United Nations to condemn the Israeli government's Sunday meeting held in the occupied Golan Heights internationally recognized as Syrian territory, local media reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a government meeting in the Golan Heights. During the meeting, the prime minister stressed that the decision to hold the meeting there had been taken to show that Israel does not intend to give up the territory, adding that the international community should recognize it as Israeli.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent two separate letters to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for the condemnation of the actions of the Israeli government, the SANA news agency reported.

The ministry urged the international community to condemn Israeli terrorism directed against the population of the occupied territory and to support Syria's territorial integrity as per the UN Security Council resolution 497, which declares the Israeli occupation as null and void.

The Golan Heights is a disputed territory that was a part of Syria before Israel seized the area in 1967 during the Six-Day War.

Syria insists that Israel should fully withdraw to the pre-1967 border, however, Israel is unwilling to accept such terms as it would give Syria access to the Sea of Galilee, which is Israel's main source of fresh water.