US to Redraw Maps to Show Golan Heights as Israeli Territory [View all]
Source: Voice of America
March 27, 2019 8:00 PM
UPDATE March 27, 2019 9:18 PM
Michael Lipin
Nike Ching
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says it will update U.S. government maps to reflect President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
In a Wednesday email responding to questions from VOA Persian, a State Department spokesperson said the map changes would be "consistent" with a March 25 proclamation signed by Trump, saying the U.S. "recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel."
In a separate interview with VOA later Wednesday, U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said the State Department would "redraw" its official maps and release them "as soon as they are ready." The map changes will reflect facts on the ground and a "need for Israel to have secure and defensible borders," Hook added.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and annexed it in 1981 in a move no other nation recognized until the U.S. officially changed its policy this week. Syria has long demanded the return of the disputed territory, which the rest of the international community considers to be Israeli-occupied.
Read more: https://www.voanews.com/a/us-to-redraw-maps-to-show-golan-heights-as-israeli-territory/4851059.html
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