Amman: First Deputy Speaker of the Lower House of Representatives Khamis Atiyeh on Tuesday condemned Colombia's decision to recognize what he called "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. In a statement, Atiyeh said the decision did not confer any legitimacy on the Israeli occupation and represented a dangerous alignment with the use of force and the imposition of faits accomplis at the expense of international law and peoples' rights.
According to Jordan News Agency, Atiyeh emphasized that Israel is an occupying power with no rightful claim to the territories it occupies. He highlighted Israel's longstanding policies of settlement, displacement, annexation, and land confiscation, alongside systematic violations against the Palestinian and Syrian populations.
Atiyeh argued that recognizing what he described as "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights would further embolden Israel to continue its policy of annexation and the imposition of faits accomplis by force. He cautioned against rewarding Israel for its violations or granting it political gains at the expense of people's rights, international law, and resolutions of international legitimacy.
Furthermore, Atiyeh accused Israel of practicing state terrorism in the occupied Palestinian territories through acts of killing, destruction, starvation, and displacement. He pointed to the developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as clear evidence of the Israeli government's disregard for international law and its persistence in pursuing an expansionist agenda.
In his statement, Atiyeh called on the international community to adopt a firm stance against the Israeli government, end double standards, and enforce international law and relevant international resolutions impartially. He warned that continued silence over Israeli violations would only encourage further policies of killing, displacement, settlement, and expansion.