Germany's top diplomat issued a stern warning to Israel on Wednesday, declaring that any permanent occupation of Syria's Golan Heights would constitute a violation of international law and potentially destabilize the region.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, addressing the German parliament, emphasized that territorial integrity must be respected by the neighboring states, as Syria works toward political dialogue following the overthrow of the Assad regime.
"This Syrian dialog process must not be torpedoed either from within or from outside, and it is also clear that international law applies to everyone," Baerbock said referring to Israel's seizure of several villages in Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights.
"If we want peace in the region, Syria's territorial integrity must not be called into question. To put it clearly, a permanent occupation of the Golan violates international law. It does not serve the goal of a lasting stabilization of the region, which we all, and above all the region, urgently need," she added.
Israel has intensified airstrikes across Syria in recent days, targeting military sites, following the Dec. 8 ousting of the Bashar Assad regime by anti-regime groups, in a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty.
The Israeli government also declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria, which had established a demilitarized buffer zone in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military has since deployed forces into the buffer zone, a move condemned by the UN and several Arab nations.
On Sunday, the government unanimously approved a plan proposed by Netanyahu to enhance Israeli settlement building in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, with a budget exceeding 40 million shekels ($11.13 million).
The Golan Heights is Syrian territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.
