Golan decree is a diplomatic miracle
Opinion: Let us not underestimate the significance of US recognition of land captured by Israel in war; Nasrallah is correct that it sets a precedent that can influence policy regarding the West Bank.
A diplomatic miracle occurred this week and it almost went unnoticed. Not because we are indifferent or because it doesn’t excite us, we didn’t notice because our hearts - and rightly so - were with the Wolf family, six members of which were wounded early Monday morning when a rocket sent from Gaza destroyed their house in Moshav Mishmeret (northeast of Tel Aviv). Our hearts were also with the residents of the south who experienced an incredibly difficult 24 hours filled with air-raid sirens, rockets and simply anguish.
Nevertheless, as our heads were turned toward the Gaza Strip, thousands of miles from here something happened that only a few years ago would’ve been unimaginable to us. The United States, which remains the world's strongest and most influential power, recognized the sovereignty of the State of Israel over the Golan Heights. It may seem like a symbolic gesture at first, but in truth, it’s not merely a symbolic matter at all, but rather a very significant one.
The one who understands this better than anyone is Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who warned in his speech against the precedent that Trump has set by signing this decree. Nasrallah said the move could in the near future lead to similar decisions in East Jerusalem or even the West Bank. And if that sounds absurd to you, think about what a possibility of the American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights during the Obama administration, or even during the Bush administration. Until Syria became embroiled in a bloody civil war - nearly ten years ago - the pressure on Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights, as part of a political agreement, never ceased.
As a child I attended more than a couple of demonstrations protesting the likelihood of withdrawing from the Golan - which was quite conceivable at the time - and here we are today, with the world’s strongest world power officially recognizing it as Israeli territory.
Nasrallah’s concerns are justified. This precedent could establish new facts on the ground about how an area occupied by Israel could eventually become its own territory, under certain circumstances. Of course, this is not true of any area or any circumstances, but it does signify a conceptual revolution in decades of commonly held assumptions about how political borders are defined.
