Colombia recognizes Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO/Golan Heights/DOK Staselnik via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (10/8), announced its country's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, making it the second country in the world after the United States which gave recognition.

"Given the ongoing regional instability in the Middle East and the importance of the Golan Heights for Israel's security, the Colombian government recognizes Israel's sovereignty over this territory, as well as the country's right to defend itself from external threats," the Colombian Foreign Ministry said, quoted by ANTARA from Sputnik, Tuesday, August 11.

The decision was made in accordance with an agreement between Colombia and Israel on August 8, a day after the inauguration of President Abelardo de la Espriella, according to the ministry.

The Golan Heights were part of Syria until 1967.

During the Six-Day War, Israeli forces occupied the territory, and after the Yom Kippur War (1973), the parties reached an agreement on a ceasefire and separation of forces.

In 1974, UN peacekeepers began to be deployed in the Golan Heights.

Then in March 2019, the US, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, officially recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

The decision marks the first time a foreign country has recognized Israel's sovereignty over the territory.

Following the US recognition in 2019, a majority of UN Security Council members expressed regret over the decision and reiterated their view of the Golan Heights as Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.