China, Other Developing Nations Weigh in on Syrian-Israeli Spat, Tell Tel Aviv to Get Out of Golan - Sputnik International

China and the Group of 77 bloc of developing nations has called on Israel to carry out an “immediate and full” withdrawal from Syria’s Golan Heights territory and all other occupied Arab lands.

    In a ministerial declaration adopted by the group after a virtual meeting, participants “reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and of the population of the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, including land, water and energy resources, and demanded that Israel, the occupying power, cease the exploitation, damage, cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of the natural resources”, in both territories, as well as from occupied Lebanese lands.

The continued occupation of these territories “constitutes violations of international law and severely undermines their ability to pursue sustainable development,” the G77 said, adding that Israeli forces should withdraw immediately to behind borders which existed before 4 June 1967.

    The statement also reaffirmed member nations’ “rejection of unilateral economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian Arab Republic, which have a negative impact on the development and prosperity of the people of the Syrian Arab Republic, and in this regard called for an immediate lifting of those sanctions.”

The Trump administration formally recognised Israeli “sovereignty” over the Golan Heights in the spring of 2019. The move was criticised by several US allies, as well as China and Russia. Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called it a “conscious, deliberate demonstration of lawlessness”.

Israel occupied the Golan Heights in June 1967 after the Six Day War against a coalition of Arab states including Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Israel formally annexed the strategic territory in 1981, with UN Security Council members - including the US - unanimously refusing to recognise the decision.