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Israel Seeks U.S. Recognition of Its Control of the Golan Heights
(Bloomberg) David Wainer - "It's very important for the U.S. to back a formal recognition of Israel's control of the Golan," Michael Oren, a deputy minister for diplomacy at the prime minister's office, said in an interview in Jerusalem. "If it weren't for Israel's presence, the Syria war would be spilling over to Jordan. So Israel's presence in the Golan is indispensable for Mideast stability." After years during which Syria shelled Israeli communities from the Golan, Israel captured the area in the 1967 war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in April that Israel will never withdraw from the Golan and called on the international community to recognize Israeli control there. In addition to the strategic benefits, Jews have a historical connection to the Golan, Oren said. "There are something like 90 ancient synagogues that have been discovered in Israel, 34 of them in the Golan. This was always part of the Land of Israel. So let us extend our sovereignty in a formal way."