Israeli flag to fly over Golan after Colombia recognition – Netanyahu
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel’s flag would continue to fly over the Golan Heights, after Colombia recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian territory.
“The Israeli flag flies here, and it will continue to fly here because this is our land,” Netanyahu said in a video while pointing to a map of the Golan Heights.
Netanyahu thanked Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella for the decision, saying Colombia had recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Colombia’s government announced Monday that it recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the territory, citing the Golan Heights’ strategic importance to Israel’s security and Israel’s right to defend itself against external threats. (timesofisrael.com)
The move makes Colombia the second country after the United States to formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Washington recognized the territory as Israeli during the administration of former US President Donald Trump in 2019. (timesofisrael.com)
Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later imposed its laws and administration on the territory in 1981.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 497 in 1981, declaring Israel’s decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights null and void and without international legal effect.
The recognition by Colombia therefore does not change the Golan Heights’ status under international law or the position reflected in relevant UN resolutions.