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Jerusalem Post
Syrian Arab News Agency
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Jerusalem Post
Syrian Arab News Agency
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| "Participants in the stand indicated that Trump’s declaration is part of the conspiracy and the hostile war wage against Syria" -Syrian Arab News Agency |
Summary:
After reversing half a century of US policy towards Israel on monday, the 25th, President Trump has sparked protests and universal international criticism from enemies and close allies of the US. Since Israel's occupation of the Golan in 1967, the EU has stood by their statement not to recognize Israeli sovereignty. It is generally agreed that this occupation is a blatant violation of international law and the UN charter that reprimands annexation of a territory by force. This decision makes the US the first country to officially recognize the Golan as Israel's; the international community regards the Golan as occupied territory.
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| Syrian protesters carry Palestinian flags in protest to Trump's decision on Tuesday. Photo by Syrian Arab News Agency |
On Tuesday, thousands of Syrians gathered to protest Trump's decision. Syria disregarded the US decision as essentially worthless. As stated by the SANA, Trump's decision "...is null and void and it doesn’t change the fact that the occupied Golan is inseparable part of Syria’s geography and history and that it will return to the homeland...". Arab countries, organizations, and Palestinian nationalist and terrorist groups all view this move as a blatant aggression, a sure indication that this decision will bring in major setbacks to the peace process. In the words of the leader of the Hezbollah, this event proves that the United States can't sponsor the "so-called peace process", and violence is the only option left.
Reaction:
In my opinion, this was a very poor decision on behalf of the president. US relations with Israel are in a good enough place that further negotiations such as this are unnecessary, and in this case the negotiations were at the expense of a country the US already has poor relations with. The already chaotic western Arab states are now inflamed, and for them, peaceful communication appears less and less possible, especially with a "mediator" that appears to completely disregard them. I can't foresee anything good resulting from this decision.
Connection:
Clearly this connects to our focused notes on the Golan last week as well as our entire I/P conflict unit. This event is a major setback for the peace process as a whole and possibly eliminates the US as a future mediator in the conflict. As we saw in Promises, a mediator can make all the difference in opening communication, and a mediator with a bias that will not provide for the needs of both sides further escalates the conflicts. This escalation is similar to Britain's supposed mediation in the 1900s that resulted in eventually picking the side of the zionists for the benefit of their own country rather than for peace.
Questions:
1.) Is there any possibility for the US to remain a mediator now?
2.) What steps should be taken to deescalate the anger of groups such as Hezbollah that view violence as the sole option now?
3.) Where do you predict the conflict will go from here? How drastically will this change affect it?
It is very clear that this whole conflict is creating a lot of tension. The Golan Heights is sought over many sides as it is a very strategic military point as it gives the group controlling it very good high ground. I feel that Trump declaring it to Israel was not the best idea as it would only anger others. It was very clear that Israel was not planning on giving this land up so this declaration was somewhat unnecessary. At this point the US has a firm standing in the conflict and are now seen as bias. At this moment the conflict only seems to be getting worse especially with the US declaring Jerusalem and now the Golan Heights as belonging to Israel. Because of this Arab nations are only growing angrier and sadly their seems to be no end in sight. To have some future, violence needs to be condemned and more talks should occur between both sides. There should be conversations instead of killing on both sides because without talking their is no peace. In conclusion I feel that this event will not change the current conflict too much but it definitely will not help.(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-21/trump-says-time-to-recognize-golan-heights-as-part-of-israel)
ReplyDeleteWith Trump as president, it is clear that the US cannot remain a mediator. Trump is so clearly on the side of the Israelis and is an advocate for them. I think that the Arabs are furious, and they will also view violence as the only option. Since the US is so swayed by the conflict, peace is harder to achieve. The conflict will drag on longer and more people will be hurt in the process. As Trump favors the Israelis, the more resentment there will be. This particular act, stating that the Israelis should control the Golan Heights, is a contributing factor to war. I don't think that Trump angering Syria or the UN is doing any favors to himself or the US, so his firm belief in Israelis controlling the land doesn't make any sense to me either.
ReplyDeleteI do not think there is any possibility for the US to become a mediator now. As we know, in 2017, on behalf of the US, President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The US also exited the Iran nuclear deal. Iran is Israel’s biggest threat, especially regarding their potential nuclear weapons. The US has made it pretty obvious they support Israel in the peace process, and recognition of the Golan Heights only further emphasizes the US’s support for Israel. Therefore, it doesn’t seem that the US can be an effective mediator in the peace process, considering it is evidently not an unbiased “in-between” for countries in the middle east fighting over land.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is not possible for the US to remain a mediator in the conflict now with their current position in fully supporting Israel. I think that the US under Trump right now have made some pretty bad decisions, as they are going against many of their own allies and making decisions that will quite obviously increase tensions in the area. Because they are biased in support of Israel, I think the Arab nations will never accept the US as neutral, which is not good for helping to resolve the conflict. In order to deescalate the anger of the Arab nations and Hezbollah to avoid violence, I believe the US will have to join in with its allies and take a truly neutral stance, since it is mostly agreed that the occupation is illegal under UN charter. By taking a neutral stance, they can make it so Syria is more likely to work with Israel through the US and come to peace. The US can also try to advise the Israeli government to be more willing to give up at least parts of the Golan Heights, since in the Syria has shown from past negotiations that it really is not willing to compromise at all on the Golan Heights. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14724842). Based on previous negotiations, I believe that the US needs to be able to have better relations with Syria and help them meet with Israel to resolve this conflict and prevent a lot more violence.
ReplyDeleteWith all the growing tensions and lack of agreement between both the Arabs and Israelis, President Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory was extremely risky and uncalled for. Due to the delicate situation the region has caused due to its importance to both sides, it is obviously a main source of disagreement. In addition, by Israel annexing the land after the 1967 War without international recognition, the Arabs grew even more upset by the illegal land grab. Since through this all, the US has attempted to remain neutral, I do not see them continuing to "mediate" in the future. For a while now, many Arab states have already condemned the US for being bias towards Israel, i.e. their military aid, so after their decision to acknowledge Golan Heights as Israel's there is little hope for negotiations. Sadly, unless large measures are taken, I doubt the conditions will much improve over time. I do believe peace is attainable, but in order for agreements to be made on both sides, the actions must come from them, and not outside interference by the US or any other outside nation.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the US is essentially disqualified as a mediator from here on out. This comment did make me rethink my stance on mediators a bit- but I do have to disagree that the countries must come to peace without a mediator. Mediators have been successful at bringing countries together in the past, even if not completely, as in the Camp David Accords with Jimmy Carter's supervision. Additionally, a very neutral outsider that can empathize with both sides, such as the crew in Promises, tends to be very successful at opening a conversation between the two sides. However, the US definitely doesn't fit this criteria anymore.
DeleteI believe that Trump recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory created more unnecessary tension for the Arab-Israeli conflict. Trump's action may lead to even more strained tensions with the Arab countries when he should really be staying out of the situation. The US and Israel already had a neutral relationship so this statement was unnecessary and can only create more problems. He has basically stated that the US is taking Israel's side in the conflict, which obviously makes it impossible to mediate the situation. I don't think that this statement will necessarily affect the Arab-Israeli relationship, but it will definitely strain the US's relationship with Arab countries. If Trump had taken a more neutral approach to the situation, maybe the US could try to help resolve the conflict, but now there is no way for the US to help.
ReplyDelete-Grace Callan
DeleteDeclaring the Golan Heights as Israeli territory was for sure a bold and risky move. I think it was a little poorly timed since President Trump declared it right before Israeli elections. However, the Golan Heights, taken by Israel during the Arab-Israeli War, is of great military importance to Israel; if occupied by its rivals they can easily target Israel's population centers. As Israel's ally, the US naturally wants to ensure Israel's security. The US has never been a complete impartial mediator, since Israel and America have shared a close relationship for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rosella that peace is attainable and that in order for there to be peace both sides have to come to a consensus by themselves instead of relying on other countries.
ReplyDeleteI think President Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israel's caused more harm than good. Obviously, in 2017 when the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, it helped ensure the support the US was giving to Israel. But recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory has put US further in the conflict than they should like to be. They've created more enemies against the US, and further violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Decisions like these are what brings this conflict farther and farther from peace because of the desire to stand up for one's country which leads to more violence. Obviously not just Syrians, but also Arabs, are very unhappy with this recognition of what they consider to be rightfully theirs, and this will only prolong the conflict as it gives each side just another thing to fight over. And now the US is in the middle of the already dangerous and long lasting conflict, only further adding to the violence and disputes.
ReplyDeleteBased on the article, it does not seem like a good decision for the United States to publicize such an extreme statement about their support for one side of the conflict they have been attempting to resolve for a while. It is dangerous to assert this especially when this decision opposes those made by US allies and the international law.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author’s opinion that this statement was unnecessary, and would not improve relations with the middle east in the long run. It also would meddle in the Arab-Israeli dispute, and could cause further violent outbreaks and create negative feelings about the US’s involvement in the Middle East. The negatives have far outweighed the positives- with this sudden statement, the United States’ - Israel relations might improve, but since many middle eastern countries are arab states with a violent history, a conflict with that area could arise.
I still think that America should remain a part of the whole thing because if it completely stopped supporting Israel, the Arabs could potentially come together and try to take it back once again. When it comes to how to make a deal with Hezbollah, I don't think there will ever be a way to reach a discussed agreement because of the nature of their organization. They do not align with more common teachings of Islam and have are very violent towards those who do not follow their religious beliefs. This event was just one of many that could escalate the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and I don't think that it is any more controversial than recognizing Jerusalem as the capitol. It could set back peace efforts for sure but I don't think too much will be affected by it because not much changes about who occupies it or any of that stuff.
ReplyDeleteI believe that from here, it will be hard for the United States to remain as a mediator. Though a mediator between this whole conflict will likely be necessary (as currently communication between the two countries is rather rough), I don’t think that it was right for Trump to go a step farther than he has now, as the US and Israel have been strong allies for a while now, evidenced by the number of money they send over for military aid. Instead of more fighting between the two countries, however, communication will be key to ending the conflict. With such statements from outside countries entering the conflict, relations between sides of the conflict will only worsen.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is possible for the US to be a mediator anymore as they have essentially picked the side of the Israelis. It would be hard for the US to mediate between the two if it appears that they are biased towards one side. I think that the two sides should try to work together to deescalate the groups that believe in violence as it would be hard for both sides to make peace with the violent groups still fighting. I believe that the conflict would continue as it has until there is some common goal that both sides can agree on and have temporary peace to accomplish it. With the many powerful countries being biased towards the two different sides, the conflict and tensions are only going to get worse and worse.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the U.S. cannot be a mediator going forward. They've deliberately chosen sides. I feel that this can only further tensions seeing that there was already some indirect tension during the conflict between the U.S. and Syria. Also, Israel now has complete support from the U.S. which will only increase the tension between the Israelis and the Arabs.
ReplyDeleteI think President Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israel's has caused much harm. Recognizing Golan Heights as Israeli territory, has made the US create more enemies and further involve them in the conflict. Putting this into effect will further destroy the goal for peace and ultimately make it not possible. Arabs are also not happy with this decision due to them believing that that piece of land rightfully belongs to them. With this plan going into motion, the US is in the middle and will only cause more conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe United States cannot be a mediator now, at least for many years to come. By accepting Golan Heights as Israel’s territory against the majority of the world, they have strongly taken the side of Israel, now offering a highly biased view on the situation. De escalating the anger of the groups such as the Hezbollah is not an overnight fix; in my mind it will take years to come. One thing that America can do is to slowly withdraw their strong stance in support of Israel. If overtime they could decrease the extremity of their view surrounding Golan Heights, tensions will naturally and gradually decrease. The conflict is really increasing right now. Trump’s acceptance of Jerusalem AND Golan Heights both within a relatively short period of time is causing a strain of relations not only between the US and Arab states, but also this increases the tensions between Israel and the Arab states (more specifically the Arab League). This increase will probably further aggravate the issues present between Israel and its neighbors. It may also be a spark which may start a fire in that region as well. However for now, it is hard to see how exactly this will go.
ReplyDeletePresident Trump’s decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory was both poor and very unnecessary. US relations with Israel were stable, and by making more negotiations and making themselves more involved in the conflict than needed, he is putting a lot at risk. The US has displayed their biased view on Israel’s side in the conflict and has made it clear that they are picking sides. This could ultimately intensify the western Arab states’ view on the US, making peace even more difficult to come. Overall, it puts the US in a position in which it cannot be seen as a mediator.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that the US could be a mediator of any sort, seeing as they are obviously biased. The US recognizing the Golan Heights as Israel's land is an absurd step, that must be taken back to quell anger and violence in the middle east. The US shouldn't recognize the Golan Heights as Israel's land, because it rightfully doesn't belong to Israel. This will most likely result in more terror attacks, and so more persecution against Palestinians as a whole. It is absurd for the US to step in when they shouldn't have.
ReplyDelete-Rumi
Considering the historical and modern day tension between Israel and Palestine, Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory was not only defective but stimulated additional turmoil. The Golan Heights is home to a number of Israeli settlements - a topic largely opposed by countries around the world. These settlements largely resemble California suburbs and recognizing them only promotes further spreading and occupation. In addition, the US is highly involved with Israel by means of a trade deal. However, I believe the US's involvement with the Israeli Palestinian issue is somewhat over drawn. The current government faces a multitude of incredibly complicated issues such as health care and gun control laws that are directly affecting the American people. Trump's attention and controversial statements towards the issue in the middle east draws the attention away from the important issues we face domestically. If US decreases its involvement, I believe that the Israeli government will feel pressure and make moves towards peace.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming (because Kayla Shiao had her last name...) this is Kayla Li?
DeleteConsidering the historical and modern day tension between Israel and Palestine, Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory was not only defective but stimulated additional turmoil. The Golan Heights is home to a number of Israeli settlements - a topic largely opposed by countries around the world. These settlements largely resemble California suburbs and recognizing them only promotes further spreading and occupation. In addition, the US is highly involved with Israel by means of a trade deal. However, I believe the US's involvement with the Israeli Palestinian issue is somewhat over drawn. The current government faces a multitude of incredibly complicated issues such as health care and gun control laws that are directly affecting the American people. Trump's attention and controversial statements towards the issue in the middle east draws the attention away from the important issues we face domestically. If US decreases its involvement, I believe that the Israeli government will feel pressure and make moves towards peace.
ReplyDeleteI believe that till the end of the trump presidency they U.S has lost its ability to negotiate. Our position is too far shifted to the side of Israel with president trumps descion to allow the annexation of the golan heights. We have essentially given(verbally) Israel more land and given them Jerusalem as their capital without offering anything to the palestinians in return. As Josh stated earlier that Isreal was anyway not planning on giving up this land so it was unnesseary for the U.S to give it to them. With our positions as mediators gone one must wonder what was the benefit in this move as we have just incited the conflict and lost our spot currently in resolving it.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is still a possibility the US can remain a mediator, just not as publicly. According to https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47667720, “The Golan move reinforces the impression that the Trump administration is redefining the parameters of US policy in a way that favours Israel: Mr Trump has already recognised the contested city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and cut funding to the UN agency in charge of Palestinian refugees demanding a right of return to a homeland. It has also stopped virtually all assistance to the Palestinian Authority...Many are more preoccupied with a perceived threat from Iran than with the Palestinian cause, and have signalled a willingness to support the Trump peace initiative. But his Golan decision will complicate their ability to publicly do so.” I believe a few steps our government can take in order to deescalate the terrorist groups’ anger is by providing assistance to the Palestinian authorities and by accepting the peace initiative. In this way, it would balance out the unfair amount of help that the US is giving to Israel. This decision will affect more than the U.S’s relationship with Syria; it will further damage our relationship with Russia. According to https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47697717 ,“Russia ... has been providing military support to President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict .” This incident could potentially create another proxy war like the cold war through Syria and Israel, and will definitely make it a lot more difficult to create peace.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that the United States can be a mediator anymore. Trump has clearly sided with Israel and the popularity of the uprisings going on, the US' position in the conflict has been solidified. I think that for the US to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli land was very biased and it was easy to see that we had a strong opinion on who is essentially 'right' in this case. I not only think that it threw out any possibility of being a mediator, but it also made relations between countries involved in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict even more unstable. It was a pretty ridiculous and absurd idea on the US' part to declare the Golan Heights as part of Israel when not only there is a bad history around arguing for that land, and that many other countries side with Palestine which weakens other country relations for us. Overall, I do not think the US can be a mediator in the conflict because of it's recent obviously biased opinions.
ReplyDeleteAfter Trump became president, it is clear that the United States cannot continue to act as a mediator. Trump apparently stood on the side of the Israelis and was their advocate. I think Arabs are very angry and they see violence as the only option. As the United States is affected by the conflict, peace is harder to achieve. The conflict will be delayed for a longer period of time and more people will be hurt. Just as Trump’s support for the Israelis, there will be more resentment there. This particular act shows that the Israelis should control the Golan Heights, which is a contributing factor to the war. I don't think Trump is angering Syria or the United Nations for any benefit to himself or the United States, so his firm belief in Israel's control of the land has no meaning to me.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is no possibility for the US to remain a mediator now. It is very difficult to achieve peace because of Trump's favoritism towards the Israelis. I totally agree with your reaction and think that it is unnecessary for further negotiations with with the US and Israel. In this website, https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-defends-syria-pullout-envoy-quits-russia-iran-assad-turkey/29671673.html Trump defended his decision to withdraw troops from Syria, initially staying for three months but has remained for years. I believe the longer the US stays, the more tension it will occur and bad relations between both countries.
ReplyDeleteAfter this incident, it is unlikely that the US can be a mediator. Their extreme bias for Israel will only heighten conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians and worsen the intents of the terrorist organizations, which had no benefit to the US. Although this incident was a strong indicator of the US's bias, the US has already been expressing this for a long period of time. I believe the US should take no part in this conflict because they are very uninvolved and are only making matters worse. Peace will now be more difficult to reach since both sides must be willing to be peaceful and make negotiations, but since the Arabs see violence as their only option, peace will only take longer.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the US will not be able to continue as a mediator. It is extremely difficult to act as a neutral party while supplying in the favor of one side. It will only heighten tensions between the middle eastern nations and the outer countries. It will especially lower the trust between Palestinians and the US. I think it is unnecessary for the US to continue playing a part because of their increasing bias towards Israel that is only increasing tensions within the conflict. Staying as part of the conflict will only worsen the situation because they do not need to stay in the conflict that is causing so many problems in the middle east. To end the conflict, the US needs to stop creating issues and allow Israel and Palestine to deal with them on their own.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's possible for the US to stay neutral now after their evident favoritism towards the Israelis. I don't think however this comes as no suprise because of the support israelis have seen in the past from the US. https://ips-dc.org/why_the_us_supports_israel/ this article goes in depth as to why the United States supports israelis. OVerall I agree with your reaction, but think the US didn't have a chance to be neutral before this incident either.
ReplyDelete