U.S. President Donald Trump signed a document formally recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, an area which was occupied and controlled by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967. This signing took place during Benjamin Netanyahu's recent visit to the U.S. in late March. Trump's move has already sparked a new round of protests in the Middle East against the U.S., and will have long-term negative implications for the world.

The Golan Heights, an area of about 1,800 square kilometers, had historically belonged to Syria. In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel occupied approximately 1,300 square kilometers of the Golan Heights near its border, which amounted to two thirds of the whole area. Though Israel now controls this part of the Golan Heights, it is widely accepted that the area belongs to Syria, and its administration should be returned to Syria. Trump's new policy is a flagrant violation of the international principle of non-acquisition of territory by force, and of the international consensus that recognizes Syria's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Firstly, Trump's move will seriously undermine the fundamental principles of the international order. There are many important principles protecting global stability and peace, and the principle of respecting the territorial integrity of a nation state should be one of the most important. International laws, including the UN Charter, are also clearly against the acquisition of territories by force. Without this principle, the world order would be seriously undermined since nation states with substantial military might would not be disincentivized to take other states' territories by force.

It is true that the U.S. recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights does not mean a change in its legal status. Regardless of its importance and power, the U.S. is only one member of the UN and no evidence indicates that other major UN members are ready to follow in the footsteps of the U.S. The five European countries in the UN Security Council even jointly counter-stated on March 26, 2019 that they do not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Nevertheless, the U.S. is still the single most important country in the world, and its position will seriously undermine the principle of non-acquisition of territories by force.

Secondly, this move will undermine the international image of the U.S. itself. The U.S. has often claimed to abide by international rules and be a leader of the international community. However, the U.S. has been undermining its own global image by withdrawing from the climate change agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and withdrawing from UNESCO. Trump's recent move to recognize Israel's claim to the Golan Heights will further undermine its international image. Though it is widely known that the U.S. has a pro-Israel policy, the previous administrations had refrained from taking actions that openly oppose international laws. None of them had ever gone so far as to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to recognize Israel's sovereignty over occupied and disputed lands. The U.S., through this move, is undermining its own international status.

Trump's recent move will also undermine the joint strategy of the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East. Since taking office, Trump has accepted Israel's view that Iran is a major threat to regional security. This view is also shared by some Arab states including Saudi Arabia. In the last couple of years, the U.S. has been talking about forming a Middle East version of NATO against Iran, about a rapprochement between Israel and Arab States, and about winning the support of Arab states for the so-called deal of the century. It is even expected that a new round of improvements of diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states is just around the corner. Trump's pro-Israel behavior will create a new obstacle to the improvement of relations between Israel and Arab states. While some Arab states may be dissatisfied with Bashar Assad's alliance with Iran, they still do think the Golan Heights is Arab land.

Trump's recognition of Israel's claim to the Golan Heights will also undermine Israel's long-term interests, which lie in peacefully co-existing with its Arab neighbors. The occupation of its neighbors' lands will, undoubtedly, be an obstacle toward building a peaceful relationship. In addition to Syria, other Arab states including Palestine, Jordan and Egypt will now have reasons to be suspicious of Israel's intentions and ambitions to occupy more territories.

All in all, Trump's latest move reflects his very strong personal style of making decisions without careful policy debate as was practiced by his predecessors. This move will produce negative implications on the regional political and security environment, and on some fundamental principles of international order.

Dr. Jin Liangxiang is Senior Research Fellow with the Center for West Asian and African Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. For more information please visit:

http://www.keyanhelp.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

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