Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, head of the new governing regime in Syria, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, mounting a fierce diplomatic attack against the State of Israel and its sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Throughout his remarks, Jolani attempted to mobilize the international community against Israel’s ongoing security presence and strategic maneuvers in the border region.
“No attempt to impose facts on the ground can impair the legitimacy of our state, the sovereignty of our legal system, or the validity of international law,” Jolani asserted from the UN rostrum. “The Golan will remain Syrian sovereign territory, and all annexation measures are null and void under Security Council Resolution 497. Our request to our international partners is simple: uphold what international law dictates.”
Jolani further accused Israel of orchestrating widespread military strikes across Syrian territory, alleging that these defensive measures destabilize the country. “Israel stands out in its transgressions, targeting Syria with approximately 500 air and artillery strikes, over 1,200 cross-border incursions, and nearly 300 detentions of Syrian nationals,” he claimed. “This dire situation threatens Syria’s stability, runs counter to global consensus, and invokes memories among Syrians of an agonizing era from which they have barely emerged.”
The Syrian leader concluded by laying out a series of demands, foremost among them a return to past disengagement frameworks. “Our stated posture remains resolute: commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and a call for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines of December 8, 2024. We categorically reject ongoing attempts to establish facts on the ground and view continuous aggression in the sector as a direct blow to securit” and stability.”