Syria urges UN commissioner to condemn Trump's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Golan

DAMASCUS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to publicly denounce U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights, state news agency SANA reported.

Trump's decision denies the rights of the Syrians in the Golan Heights which were protected by the international law and turns a blind eye to the "flagrant violations" of the human rights committed by the Israelis against the legitimate residents of Golan Heights, the ministry said.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in the 1980s, but the international community has never recognized the move.

Recognizing the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has been a recent demand by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move came months after the Trump administration moved the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.