Türkiye urges UN to back resolution on Syrian Golan, condemns Israeli agression
WASHINGTON, Anadolu Agency
Türkiye's permanent representative to the U.N. expressed support Tuesday for a General Assembly resolution on the Syrian Golan, calling the Israeli occupation of the region “null and void."
"Türkiye firmly supports the resolution on the Syrian Golan, which is scheduled for action today.
"For more than five decades, the international community has consistently affirmed through numerous resolutions of both the General Assembly and the Security Council that the occupation of the Syrian Golan is null and void, constitutes a clear violation of international law and must come to an end," Ahmet Yıldız told the U.N. General Assembly.
“The Syrian Golan" resolution declares Israel’s continued occupation and de facto annexation of the Syrian Golan illegal and contrary to Security Council resolution 497 (1981). It reaffirms the applicability of international humanitarian law, demands Israel’s withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 line, and urges renewed peace negotiations and international efforts to resume the peace process.
"This resolution confirms that this principled and longstanding position remains unchanged," Yıldız said.
Yıldız told the members that the Syrian people are beginning to emerge from an “exceptionally difficult period,” describing what he called a “historic process of political, social and economic recovery” now underway.
He referenced the upcoming Dec. 8 anniversary, referring to the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria on Dec. 8, 2024, which Ankara views as a turning point marking Syrians “regaining their freedom,” and said the international community remains united in supporting Syria’s stability and reconstruction.
"At a time when Syrians are working to restore security, prosperity and social cohesion, Israeli military activities directly obstruct these efforts. Such attacks must cease immediately," Yıldız said.
Yıldız also criticized Israel’s recent military actions near Damascus, citing reported strikes on the Beit Jinn area, which killed 13 Syrians.
“These actions constitute a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. “They endanger civilians and undermine regional stability as a result of a non-warranted and non-credible threat perception.”
He argued that Israel must recognize that “lasting security cannot be built on the continued occupation of another country’s territory.”
Reiterating Ankara’s position, Yıldız condemned any unilateral steps aimed at altering the legal, demographic or institutional character of the occupied Syrian Golan. Such actions, he said, are “illegitimate, unacceptable and without legal effect” and only deepen tensions.
He emphasized that respect for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity — “core principles of the U.N. Charter” — is essential to regional stability.
Yıldız said Türkiye would continue supporting diplomatic efforts toward peace and stability in the Middle East and urged Israel to comply with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
He called on Israel to “engage constructively with Syria to create the conditions necessary for comprehensive peace.”
UN adopts resolution
The draft resolution, which was penned by Egypt, was approved with 123 votes in favor, seven against and 41 abstentions.
The resolution declares that the Israeli decision of Dec. 14, 1981 to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is "null and void and has no validity whatsoever."
It "demands once more that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 in implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions" and determines that the continued occupation of the Syrian Golan and its de facto annexation constitute "a stumbling block in the way of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region."
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly ahead of the voting, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, said the occupied Syrian Golan is “Syrian land” and stressed that Damascus has the full right to reclaim it from Israel.
“Our country has every right to regain this land fully and until the 4 June 1967 lines. This is a firm law that cannot be subject to compromise or pressure and has no statute of limitations. It is guaranteed by international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” he added.
He said Syria “will continue to exercise its legitimate right to defend its land and its people using all means necessary, as guaranteed by international law.”
“My country calls for holding accountable the Israeli occupation authorities for all the crimes, and we call for working to guarantee that they do not go with impunity,” he said, urging the U.N. to take “immediate measures” to implement its resolutions.
After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.