Halt Golan Heights incursion

France tells Israel to halt Golan Heights incursion

Paris calls military deployment in buffer zone “a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement” between Damascus and Tel Aviv.

By Tom Nicholson

France on Wednesday called on Israel to respect the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of neighboring Syria and to withdraw its forces from the Golan demilitarized zone between the two countries.

"As stated by the U.N., any military deployment in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria is a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement which must be respected by its signatories, Israel and Syria," said a French foreign ministry spokesman at a press briefing.

"France calls on Israel to withdraw from this area."

The United Nations has also criticized Israel for violating the 1974 agreement.

On Sunday, as Damascus fell to rebel groups and Syrian dictator President Bashar Assad fled to Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that troops from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had crossed into a buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the Golan Heights. He explained that the aim of the incursion was to counter any possible threats from the disorder in Syria.

“We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” he declared.

In the ensuing 48 hours, Israel conducted hundreds of sorties on military and naval installations in Syria, focusing especially on chemical weapons stockpiles and missile sites.

The IDF incursion into the buffer zone was criticized by Russia and Saudi Arabia but defended by the United States State Department through its spokesperson, Matthew Miller, who said at a press briefing that "the Syrian army abandoned its positions in the area ... which potentially creates a vacuum that could have been filled by terrorist organizations."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that troops from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had crossed into a buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the Golan Heights. | Pool Photo by Maya Alleruzzo via Getty Images

He added, however, that "Israel has said that these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions ... We support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement."

That view contrasts with statements by Netanyahu, who said on Monday: "The Golan Heights will be an inseparable part of the State of Israel forever."

Netanyahu also thanked U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for his 2019 decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, most of which it occupied in 1967 as part of the Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed in 1981. No other countries, nor the European Union, recognize Israel's claim to the Golan Heights.