US officials are preparing an official document to codify recognition by the United States of Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, Reuters reported Friday. A senior administration official said President Donald Trump is likely to sign the official document next week, during his meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington. The report comes a day after Trump announced in a tweet that it was time for the United States to recognize Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, an announcement which marked a dramatic shift in US policy. The decision to go ahead with the Golan announcement was spurred in part by an assessment by Trump’s aides that his moves on Jerusalem in 2017 and 2018 had provoked less of a severe reaction in the Arab world than many experts had predicted, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters . While Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and his relocation of the US embassy to the city, ignited international criticism, they did not appear to quell behind-the-scenes security contacts developed in recent years between Israel and US Gulf allies, source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Aides’ advice to Trump on recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan was that the US administration could again weather any storm of international criticism, the source said. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu welcomed Trump's announcement on Thursday and described it as a "Purim miracle." The Arab world, unsurprisingly, condemned the move. Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said in criticizing the move that “The territorial integrity of states is the most fundamental principle of international law.” “Attempts by the US to legitimize Israel's actions against international law will only lead to more violence and pain in the region. Turkey supports Syria's territorial integrity,” he added. The Arab League also rejected Trump’s announcement, saying it fully supports Syrian sovereignty over the Golan Heights. PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat, meanwhile, claimed the move would result in regional “destabilization and bloodshed”. (Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)
