Donald Trump made the comments while at the White House

As he held a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump issued the stark message on behalf of the two nations. According to Newsweek, Trump had just signed an executive order, officially recognising the occupied Golan Heights as part of Israel. The move was in direct opposition to the views of the United Nation and former US administrations.

CHINA WARNING: US sends WARSHIPS to Taiwan in show of force

The land is currently seen as part of Syria.

But upon hearing of further strikes to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Trump said the two nations would consider “defence and perhaps offence” on behalf of Israel.

He added: “Under my administration, the unbreakable alliance between the United States and Israel has never been stronger.”

The row continued after Israel claimed Iran had been supporting terror groups in Syria.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Twitter: Why does the president Tweet SO MUCH?</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Monday recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump made formal a move he announced in a surprise tweet last week.

The president said it was time for the U.S. to take the step after 52 years of Israeli control of the strategic highlands on the border with Syria. The U.S. is the first country to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which the rest of the international community regards as Israeli-occupied.

Trump said his decision would cement the Jewish state's ability to defend itself from regional threats should a broad Arab-Israeli peace deal ever be reached. Trump's action also likely gives Netanyahu a political boost ahead of what's expected to be a close Israeli election.

Syria denounced the U.S. move as "blatant aggression" on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The foreign ministry said Trump's step represented the "highest level of contempt for international legitimacy" and showed that Washington was "the main enemy" of Arabs.

Lebanon, which Secretary of State Mike Pence visited over the past weekend, said the Golan Heights are "Syrian Arab" territory and that "no country can falsify history by transferring" land from one country to another.

Amnesty International called the decision "irresponsible, reckless and yet another example of the Trump Administration violating international law and consensus by condoning Israel's illegal annexation."

Netanyahu had pressed for recognition of his country's sovereignty over the area for months.

Israel has long argued that the strategically important area has for all practical purposes been fully integrated into Israel since it was captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and that control of the strategic plateau is needed as protection from Iran and its allies in Syria.

"Today, aggressive acts by Iran and terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, in southern Syria continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching ground for attacks on Israel," Trump said in the proclamation.

The proclamation noted the "unique circumstances" presented by the Golan, language that appeared to be aimed at countering criticism that the recognition would be used by other countries to justify control of disputed territory such as Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.

Netanyahu, even as he was somberly cutting short his visit to Washington to deal with a rocket attack in central Israel, was elated by Trump's move.

"Israel has never had a better friend than you," he told the president.

Netanyahu noted a series of steps Trump has taken since assuming office, including his withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

In addition to signaling U.S. support for Israel's security, the decision appeared to show Trump's support for Netanyahu, the political candidate in April 9 elections. Netanyahu is facing a tough challenge from a popular former military chief and reeling from a series of corruption allegations. He has repeatedly sought to focus attention on his foreign policy record and strong ties with Trump.

The two leaders met as the Israeli military was striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket that hit a house north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven people.

In a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee earlier Monday, Vice President Mike Pence said the rocket attack "proves that Hamas is not a partner for peace." Pence told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that "Hamas is a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of Israel, and the United States will never negotiate with terrorist Hamas."

Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Sunday for what was to have been a three-day visit but announced early Monday he would leave early to take charge of the response to the rocket.</s>(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights Monday in a ceremony with Benjamin Netanyahu, delivering a symbolic boost to the Israeli prime minister just two weeks before he faces a re-election vote.

The presidential proclamation, foreshadowed last week when Trump said it was time for the change, breaks with decades of U.S. policy.

“Under my administration, the unbreakable alliance between the United States and Israel has never been stronger," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Netanyahu told Trump: “Israel has never had a better friend than you.”

Netanyahu was originally planning to speak at the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee this week in Washington but cut short his trip after a rocket attack on Israel from Gaza.

Trump announced his intention to recognize Israeli control over the territory it captured in 1967 in a tweet last week, prompting speculation he was looking to assist Netanyahu politically. The Israeli prime minister and longtime Trump ally has been dogged by corruption allegations, and polls show a close April 9 election.

But Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network last week that the move wasn’t driven by politics.

"I wouldn’t even know about that," Trump said. "I have no idea, I hear he’s doing OK I don’t know if he’s doing great right now, but I hear he’s doing OK. But I would imagine the other side whoever’s against him is also in favor of what I just did."

The future of the plateau, a scenic area containing important water sources, had long been considered a subject for negotiation in any potential peace agreement with Syria. Now, with Syria wracked by a civil war that includes support from Iran, Israel wants its control over the area to be recognized worldwide. Israel extended its law to the area in 1981.

Trump has looked to boost U.S. support for Netanyahu, moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018 and backed out of the nuclear agreement his predecessor Barack Obama negotiated with Iran.

--With assistance from Nick Wadhams and David Wainer.

To contact the reporters on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Joshua Gallu</s>DAMASCUS: The Syrian government said that Washington's recognition on Monday (Mar 25) of Israeli claims over the Golan Heights were a blatant attack on its sovereignty.

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognising Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recognition "historic" and said the Golan Heights, which are still claimed by Syria, would remain permanently under Israeli control.

The move, which breaks with decades of international consensus, drew criticism from the Syrian government.

"In a blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, the president of the US has recognised the annexation of the Syrian Golan," a foreign ministry source said, according to state news agency SANA.

"Trump does not have the right and the legal authority to legitimise the occupation," he said.

The unnamed source also said the unlimited support the United States gives to Israel makes Washington the prime enemy of the Arabs, according to SANA.

Foreign Minister Walid Muallem also denounced the move, telling Syria TV that Trump's Golan move will isolate the US.

Syria's opposition chief Nasr al-Hariri said Trump's decision will have negative implications on the region.

"It will lead to more violence and instability and it will have negative effects on efforts to engineer peace in the region," he said on Twitter.

Russia on Monday warned of a "new wave" of tensions in the Middle East after the US Golan move.</s>Wearing almost identical dark suits and red ties, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lavished praise on each other in a joint appearance at the White House Monday, with the latter hailing Trump as the greatest friend Israel has ever had as the president took steps to reverse decades of U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.

Around the same time, Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, released a statement clarifying his remarks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s policy conference from the previous night. In his speech, Hoyer's criticism of people who bring up “dual loyalty” in talking about U.S. foreign policy toward Israel was largely seen as a rebuke of a single member of his own party: Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose recent comments have stirred a heated debate among Democrats on Israel.

Ahead of his 2020 reelection, Trump has been looking to take advantage of any cracks within the Democratic Party. For the last few months — including in his State of the Union speech — Trump has latched on to a broad portrayal of all Democrats as socialists who were out of step with the economic views of the country, bringing up progressive firebrand New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ policy priorities as though they were held by all Democrats.

And in recent weeks, as Democrats have continued to deal with shifting views toward Israel within their own party, following comments made by Omar, Trump is employing the same tactic: He has attacked the party broadly as "anti-Jewish” in his comments and tweets, while taking steps to bolster his pro-Israel image to draw a contrast whenever possible.

"The Democrats have very much proven to be anti-Israel," Trump told reporters on Friday. “There's no question about that. And it's a disgrace. I mean, I don’t know what's happened to them. But they are totally anti-Israel. Frankly, I think they're anti-Jewish."

During Netanyahu's visit — weeks before the Israeli leader under corruption charges faces a tough election — Trump signed a proclamation with a key political priority for Netanyahu: recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategically-located area along Israel’s northern border that has been long disputed. The move is seen as a major reversal in long-held U.S. foreign policy and a political gift to Netanyahu.

“We’re celebrating the Golan Heights,” Trump said Monday. “It’s something that I’ve been hearing about for many years, from many people. I’ve been studying for years. And this should have been done, I would say, numerous presidents ago. But for some reason, they didn’t do it, and I’m very honored to have done it.”

Trump has repeatedly spoken about his decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a similar way at campaign rallies and official events. So much so that, in a speech at Trump’s Florida club Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly brought up Trump’s decision to move the embassy with a joke: “There will be a Trump hotel (in Jerusalem) in 10 years.”

Trump was expected to spend more than an hour with Netanyahu on Monday and join him for dinner on Tuesday night, but Netanyahu, who was also supposed to address the AIPAC conference, had to cut his trip short after a rocket hit central Israel.

Republicans have repeatedly pointed out that none of the 2020 Democratic contenders were scheduled to speak at the AIPAC conference. Presidential candidates, however, typically are only invited to address the conference in election years.

Trump did not address the conference himself. But while he was emphasizing his cozy relationship with Netanyahu at the White House, Vice President Mike Pence spoke at AIPAC on his behalf, calling the president “the greatest friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel ever to sit in the Oval Office of the White House.”

Pence used the opportunity not just to draw attention to the president’s Golan Heights’ proclamation, but he also carried the president’s message, stressing the emerging divisions within the opposing party on Israel.

“It’s astonishing to think that the party of Harry Truman, which did so much to help create the State of Israel, has been co-opted by people who promote rank, anti-Semitic rhetoric, and work to undermine the broad American consensus of support for Israel,” Pence said, adding falsely that the “party that has been the home of so many American Jews” “struggled to muster the votes to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism in a resolution.”

House Democrats were united in a recent vote for a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, among other racist behavior. Twenty-three Republicans voted against the measure.

“President Trump and I couldn't be more proud to stand with all of you today, tomorrow, and always, to strengthen the ties that bind America and Israel,” Pence said. “We here, in the United States, admire Israel and her success. In fact, we marvel at it.”</s>US President Donald Trump will sign an order recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights when he meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, Israel’s acting foreign minister said.

“President Trump will sign tomorrow in the presence of PM Netanyahu an order recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Israel Katz wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Trump tweeted Thursday that it was “time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” upending decades of US policy on the matter.

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He however left unanswered if or when he would follow through with an order to do so.

Israeli leaders were exuberant over the announcement, with Netanyahu saying “the message that President Trump has given the world is that America stands by Israel.”

The move was seen as a potential major boon to the prime minister less than three weeks before a general election. A signing ceremony with Trump in the White House would be an even greater boost for Netanyahu. But Trump has denied that his decision has anything to do with the Israeli election.

Ahead of his trip to Washington on Saturday, Netanyahu said that Trump’s stated intention to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights would be on top of the agenda for his meetings with the president.

“I am going to talk with President Trump about the Golan, about his historic statement, about Syria, about the ongoing pressure on Iran and additional sanctions on Iran, which they have added and will add, about security and intelligence cooperation that is unprecedented.”

Netanyahu and his delegation are due in Washington early Sunday morning, but there are no events planned for that day, according to the itinerary of the trip sent to the traveling press.

On Monday, he will conduct a “working meeting” with Trump, which will focus on “the Iranian aggression, Iran’s attempts to establish military bases in Syria, and how to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office. “The two will also discuss strengthening security and intelligence cooperation.”

On Tuesday evening, Trump will host Netanyahu and his wife Sara for a second time, in the framework of a dinner. Earlier that day, at 9:30 a.m. Netanyahu is set to address some 18,000 people at the America Israel Public Affair’s Committee annual policy conference, whose motto this year is “Connected for Good.”

Trump’s move was condemned strongly by Syria and its allies Russia and Iran, as well as by the president of Turkey.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the move. “Mr. President Trump, you are not a ruler. You are not a ruler of the world. There is international legitimacy. There are international laws. If you want to be a ruler, you must abide by international legitimacy.”

The European Union on Friday stressed that it would not change its position on the Golan and does not consider it a part of Israeli territory.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and extended Israeli law to the territory in 1981, a step tantamount to annexation. But the United States and the international community have long considered it Syrian territory under Israeli occupation. The plateau lies along a strategic area on the border between Israel and Syria.</s>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump in Washington on Monday amid expectations the US president will formally recognize the Jewish state's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Trump broke with longstanding international consensus last week over the status of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, saying the US should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau.

Israel's foreign minister said the US president will go one step further on Monday when he welcomes a grateful Netanyahu -- who is looking for an electoral boost ahead of April 9 parliamentary polls -- to the White House.

"President Trump will sign tomorrow in the presence of PM Netanyahu an order recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Israel Katz tweeted.

Netanyahu has long pushed for such recognition, and many analysts saw Trump's statement, which came in a tweet on Thursday, as a campaign gift.

Netanyahu is locked in a tough election fight with a centrist political alliance headed by former military chief Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid.

New opinion polls last week showed Netanyahu losing ground to his electoral rivals, and the Washington visit was seen as an opportunity to regain momentum.

The prime minister has a "working meeting" at the White House on Monday and a dinner on Tuesday.

Netanyahu is also set to address the annual conference in Washington of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Tuesday. Gantz speaks at the high-profile event on Monday.

The Golan Heights decision is the latest major move in favor of Israel by Trump, who in 2017 recognized the disputed city of Jerusalem as the country's capital.

Syria and other states in the region condemned Trump's pledge, saying it violates international law. France said the same.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Netanyahu phoned Trump to tell him he had made "history," and called the gesture a "Purim miracle," a reference to the Jewish holiday that Israel was celebrating that day.

Although Trump professed no knowledge of the Israeli politics in play, Netanyahu's relationship with the US president has long been a central feature of his campaign.

Trump appears on giant campaign billboards in Israel shaking hands and smiling with Netanyahu, and the premier has shared video of the US leader calling him "strong" and a "winner."

On the same day as Trump's Golan Heights tweet, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Jerusalem, where he joined Netanyahu in a visit to the historic Western Wall, offering his host a prime pre-election photo opportunity.

It was the first time such a high-ranking American official had visited one of the holiest sites in Judaism, located in mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem, with an Israeli premier.

Trump relies on pro-Israel evangelical Christians as part of his electoral base and has moved US policy firmly in Israel's favor.</s>US President Donald Trump has announced that it is time to recognise the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under attack at home, subject to prosecution for corruption and bribery, has welcomed the gift from Trump.His political rivals, the Blue and White party, appear to the public as a relatively centrist alternative to Netanyahu, even though their leaders, former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid, are far from being moderates.How will the world react? Will anyone oppose Trump's illegal move?When questioned about the relationship between the timing of his announcement and the Israeli domestic elections during an interview with Fox News, President Trump contradicted himself . "I wouldn't even know about that (the Israeli elections), I have no idea (about the Israeli elections)."For decades, US Presidents have intervened in Israeli elections, supporting a Prime Minister against his political rivals or pulling the carpet from under a Prime Minister's feet when there is disagreement - as George Bush did in 1991 - just one occasion - when he rejected a $10bn loan to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's government. Shamir then lost the election to Yitzhak Rabin.But Trump has made 7,645 false or misleading claims since taking office. An additional one won't disturb his sleep. The moral is that the US establishment does not care what the world has to say if it doesn't fit with its own policies and objectives.Indeed, the US occupied Iraq in 2003 without the approval of the United Nations. Libya was bombed before any UN decision and US forces are deployed in east Syria and on the Syrian-Iraqi borders as occupation forces without a UN mandate.Moreover, Trump moved his embassy to Jerusalem and defined the Palestinian Capital as Israeli propriety,. Jerusalem is the first Qibla of the Muslims, the direction Muslims around the world used to pray to before Makkah (Mecca). Arab populations are boiling about this decision, while their leaders connive against their will, establishing warm relationships with Israel.Why would the Trump-Netanyahu duo care when the Arabs are divided and the Russian, Chinese and European countries who protest will not to go war to recover the occupied Golan Heights?On October 17, 1973, it was the Arabs who publicly used oil as a weapon to challenge US objectives when OPEC began its embargo. Today the oil is at the service of the US to protect its client Arab leaders and their monarchies.However, the Syrian government is, for the moment, unwilling to start a new battle against Israel. Regaining the occupied Golan Heights could only be achieved through local resistance and attacks against the occupier, an audacious and costly move that President Bashar al-Assad may not be able to undertake right now, particularly when the war in Syria is not over yet.The north west of Idlib (under Turkey and jihadists control) and the north east (under the US occupation forces) are still occupied.One important point though: if Trump considers the Lebanese Shebaa Farms as part of his gift of the occupied Golan Heights to Netanyahu, the situation may change because Hezbollah is said to be determined to continue its military campaign to recover the Lebanese farms.Another issue is the presence of the Russian forces patrolling the Golan line to prevent any attack against Israel. It is also worth noting that for over 30 years, Presidents Hafez and Bashar al-Assad have never attacked Israel on this Golan front. Therefore, it cannot be excluded that Israel is relying on this combination of elements to impose its authority over a Syrian territory which it has been occupying for decades and expects little resistance to counter its move.It should be recognised that Israel has been playing its cards well in Syria since the beginning of the war 8 years ago., as Western governments have done the same. It has adopted a politico-military policy to take advantage of the situation and has succeeded in every move, including bombing Syria and destroying Syrian army and Iranian military objectives. The timing of its attacks has been carefully chosen, giving the impression that its arms can reach anywhere. And it has refrained from provoking Hezbollah in Lebanon to avoid retaliation (in 8 years of war, only few exchanges in the area have been registered).Netanyahu has managed to bring the US establishment to its side, to the point where the US President openly supports the Israeli Prime Minister's election with the gift of the Golan Heights even as Netanyahu is due to visit Washington next week. Trump has saved Netanyahu domestically from a serious threat to his political future,. In the midst of this, the Arab countries look on, powerless. They obey Trump's diktat by coming closer and establishing open relationships with Israel, and by slowing down the resumption of diplomatic relations with Damascus. The gift of Jerusalem was a shock that demonstrated the impotence of Arab leaders.In fact,. No serious steps can be expected from the Arabs, especially from those who are allies of the US and who have established overt and covert ties with Israel. Apart from a few flag burnings, no concrete response can be expected.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday recognized the disputed Golan Heights as Israeli territory in an election boost for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, drawing a sharp response from Syria, which once held the strategic land.

With Netanyahu looking over his shoulder at the White House, Trump signed a proclamation officially granting U.S. recognition of the Golan as Israeli territory - a dramatic shift from decades of U.S. policy.

The move, which Trump announced in a tweet last Thursday, appeared to be the most overt gesture by the Republican president to help Netanyahu, who had been pressing Trump for the move since February 2017.

Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally.

Netanyahu, who faces an election on April 9, earlier on Monday said he was cutting short his U.S. visit after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, blamed on Hamas, wounded seven people near Tel Aviv. Israel launched retaliatory air strikes in Gaza.

Israel’s prime minister arrived in Washington on Sunday, originally for a four-day trip.

His chief rival for the premiership, Benny Gantz, also visited the U.S. capital, telling a major pro-Israel lobbying organization that he was the better alternative to lead the country.

In signing the proclamation, Trump said “This was a long time in the making.”

He handed the pen that he used for his signature to Netanyahu, and said: “Give this to the people of Israel.”

The prime minister welcomed Trump’s action and said Israel had never had a better friend. He harked back to two previous Middle Eastern wars in justifying Israel’s need to hang on to the Golan.

“Just as Israel stood tall in 1967, just as it stood tall in 1973, Israel stands tall today. We hold the high ground and we should never give it up,” he said.

Syria reacted swiftly to Trump’s proclamation, calling it a “blatant attack” on its sovereignty and territorial integrity and saying it had a right to reclaim the Golan.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “clear that the status of Golan has not changed,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The U.N.’s policy on Golan is reflected in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and that policy has not changed,” Dujarric said.

A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member body in 1981 declared that Israel’s “decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect.” It also demanded Israel rescind its decision.

NATO ally Turkey termed the U.S. recognition unacceptable and said it would take action against it, including at the United Nations, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. The Arab League also condemned the move.

The negative reactions reprised last week’s response to Trump’s tweet announcing the move. The announcement triggered direct or implied criticism from European as well as Middle Eastern countries and organizations, including Britain, Germany, France, the European Union, Turkey, Egypt, the Arab League and Russia.

Elsewhere in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel group, held its annual meeting with speaker after speaker expressing U.S. support for strong ties with the country.

“We stand with Israel because her cause is our cause, her values are our values, and her fight is our fight,” Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday.

Pence also talked tough against Iran, saying that under Trump, “America will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

Netanyahu challenger Benny Gantz appeared before the gathering, and vowed to protect his country against threats from Iran and Syria. He called for unity in Israel.

“We must remember if that we want hope, we must have unity,” he said.

With election day approaching, opinion polls put Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud and Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party neck and neck.</s>US President Donald Trump will sign an order recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights when he meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, Israel's foreign minister said.

"President Trump will sign tomorrow in the presence of PM Netanyahu an order recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Again breaking with longstanding international consensus, Trump said on Thursday that the United States should acknowledge Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau it seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.

He however left unanswered if or when he would follow through with an order to do so.

Netanyahu has long pushed for such recognition, and many analysts saw Trump's statement, which came in a tweet, as a campaign gift ahead of Israel's April 9 polls.

The prime minister is locked in tough election campaign with a centrist political alliance headed by former military chief Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid.

Syria and other states in the region condemned Trump's pledge, saying it violates international law. France said the same.

Israel annexed the Golan in 1981 in a move never recognised by the international community.

The decision is the latest major move in favour of Israel by Trump, who in 2017 recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as the country's capital.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs a proclamation formally recognising the disputed Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory.