Turkey's President Abdullah Gul has urged Israel to resume peace talks with Syria as Tel Aviv says it will not return the occupied Golan Heights to Syria.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Friday, Gul called on Israel to accept its responsibilities in forging peace, saying "Israel has to show clearly it is a partner."
Gul made the remarks a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would never withdraw from the Golan Heights and said, "Remaining on the Golan will ensure Israel has a strategic advantage in cases of military conflict with Syria".
Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the Syrian territory in 1981, a move never recognized by the international community.
Syria has demanded the return of all the Golan Heights, saying the strategic region will always belong to Syria and Israel's departure from it is the only way to peace -- a call which Israel has so far rejected. source
4 years ago