Middle Eastern Nations Accuse Israel Of Exploiting Syria’s Instability

Middle Eastern nations including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar have condemned Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone that separates the occupied Golan heights from the rest of Syria and accused it of taking advantage of the situation to take more land.

The moves “confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Arab League accused Israel of “taking advantage of the developments in the internal situation in Syria” while Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called it an “unacceptable escalation and an attack on the sovereignty of an Arab state.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry called the move “a serious escalation” and said Israel was “imposing realities” through land seizures, and Egypt’s foreign ministry said Israel’s actions “impose a new reality on the ground that contravenes international law.”

“Israel’s actions… constitute an exploitation of the state of fluidity and vacuum in Syria to occupy more Syrian territories,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he had ordered the military to “take control” of the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.

The UN has confirmed that Israeli troops have entered the buffer zone and have been moving within that area, where they remain in at least three locations, according to the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

The UN’s Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) told Israel its presence in the Syrian buffer zone would violate the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement with Syria, Dujarric said Monday.

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma