Skip to main content

House of Lords written question HL616.

Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN HL616, tabled on 21 January 2020

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Israel, and (2) the United States, in relation to proposals by the US that the Golan Heights should be annexed by Israel.

Answered on

29 January 2020

​We have been clear to both our Israeli and US counterparts that the UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. The UK did not recognise Israel's annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change our position. On 26 March 2019, following the US Presidential Proclamation recognising that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel, we reiterated our firm position on this matter at a meeting of the UN Security Council. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law. Any declaration of a unilateral border change goes against the foundation of the rules-based international order and the UN Charter.

Answered by

Foreign and Commonwealth Office