Hopes of U.S. to recognize Israel's Golan hold

Reuters - Israel still hopes for U.S. recognition of its sovereignty claim over the Golan Heights, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (August 23) after a top U.S. official said the issue is not currently under consideration by Washington. Israel captured much of the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it in a move not endorsed internationally. In May, a senior Israeli official said that U.S. recognition could be forthcoming within months. But addressing the issue in a Reuters interview during a visit to Israel this week, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said "there's no discussion of it, no decision within the U.S. government". Netanyahu, asked by a reporter on his departure for a visit to Lithuania whether Israel, in light of Bolton's remarks, had dropped expectations of U.S. recognition of Israel's Golan claim, replied: "Would I give up on such a thing? No way." In the interview, Bolton said that while the United States understands Israel's claim that it has annexed the Golan Heights, "there's no change in the U.S. position for now".