Syrian Government's Reaction to Netanyahu's Statements on Golan Heights

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he has no objections to international negotiations aimed at ending the Syrian crisis, but his country will not withdraw from the Golan Heights at the border with Syria. The Syrian central government criticized these remarks at the United Nations. On April 29, Netanyahu said during a symbolic cabinet meeting in the Golan Heights that it is time for the international community to recognize Israel's sovereignty over these heights. The Golan Heights is located in southwestern Syria; control of this area fell to the Israeli army during the 1968 war. Israel annexed the Golan in 1981. Netanyahu expressed doubt that Syria would ever return to what it was before. He also added that he has no objections to peace negotiations aimed at ending the five-year civil war in Syria, but emphasized that such negotiations should not come at the expense of Israel's security and that borders will not change. These statements have provoked a response from the Syrian central government. The Foreign Ministry of Bashar al-Assad's government sent a formal protest to the United Nations, describing Netanyahu's remarks as 'provocative.' Damascus has called on the international community to remove Israel from the 'occupied Golan Heights, which belongs to Syria.' The Golan Heights has been a center of conflicts and attacks over the past five years and prior. Last December, the Israeli Prime Minister accused Iran of intending to open a new front against Israel through the Golan Heights. Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that the transfer of weapons for Hezbollah from Syrian territory will not be tolerated.