Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the U.S to recognize Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights.
Before a working dinner in Jerusalem, Netanyahu told U.S. National Security Adviser Bolton, "When you're there, you'll be able to understand perfectly why we'll never leave the Golan Heights and why it's important that all countries recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights."
Bolton had been scheduled to tour the Golan Heights with Netanyahu, but the plans were canceled as a result of the weather.
Israel captured the area from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. It annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, in a move not recognized by the international community.
Bolton declined to comment on Netanyahu's request in his remarks.
He said, "We will be discussing the president's decision to withdraw" and "make sure IS [Islamic State] is defeated and … make sure the defense of Israel and our other friends in the region is assured."
U.S. President Donald "Trump backs Israel's right to self-defense; he says it publicly and unequivocally. Any nation … that has any doubt about American support for Israel's self-defense – it better think about it again."
He said that under Trump, "We have the best Israel-U.S. relationship in our history" and that the situation in the Middle East required the strong bilateral alliance to continue.
A top White House aide has said U.S. troops won't leave northeastern Syria until Islamic State terrorists are defeated and U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters are protected, signaling a pause to a withdrawal abruptly announced last month and initially expected to be completed within weeks.
Bolton said the U.S. military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State group, and Turkey assuring the safety of Kurdish fighters allied with the United States.
Bolton, who is in Israel to reassure the U.S. ally of the Trump-ordered withdrawal, said Sunday that "the timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."
His comments mark the first public confirmation the withdrawal has been slowed, as Trump faced widespread criticism from allies and the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for a policy that was to have been conducted within weeks.
In recent weeks, senior officials said they would try to "make lemons into lemonade" by asking the U.S. to recognize Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights following the announcement troops would be pulled from Syria.
Israel Hayom has learned that Netanyahu discussed the request with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during their meeting last week in Brazil and that Pompeo did not rule out the possibility of U.S. recognition.
The Coalition for the Israeli Golan, which has led the monthslong effort toward U.S. recognition of the Israeli Golan Heights, welcomed Netanyahu's statement.
Coalition chairman Zvi Hauser told Israel Hayom that recognition "is the only strategic solution and necessary complementary step to the American withdrawal from Syria."
Deputy Minister Michael Oren said, "American recognition of the Israel Golan Heights can be one form of compensation for the American withdrawal from Syria, alongside an understanding on American aid – logistical and diplomatic – to Israel during military campaigns against Hezbollah and Hamas, should they develop."
Golan Regional Council head Haim Rokach noted that "the Golan Heights are under Israeli control longer than they were under Syrian control. Obviously, they will remain Israeli forever. The countries of the world, and foremost among them the U.S., would be wise to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman announced the U.S. would hold off on plans to present the so-called "deal of the century." He said the plan would be released in a few months' time so that the timing affords the plan the greatest chances of being accepted by the parties.
He said the upcoming Israeli elections were a factor in the decision, but not the only reason for the move.
He emphasized that the plan had been updated to accommodate the current situation on the ground. Noting the last significant agreement between Israel and the Palestinians was signed in 1993, he said, "A lot has happened since."
