House Democrats skeptical of Trump’s Golan Heights shake up
Republicans want to codify President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights into law, but even the staunchest pro-Israel Democrats have reservations.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Times; color: #101010; -webkit-text-stroke: #101010} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font-kerning: none; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #000000} span.s3 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #347ab7; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #347ab7} President Donald Trump may have sparked vocal condemnations from world leaders on Monday when he officially recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, but another battle over the occupied territory is quietly shaping up on Capitol Hill.
Republicans are pushing their own bills that would make Trump’s decree permanent, preventing a future president from undoing it.
No Democrats have yet gotten on board in either the House or Senate, and today House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., threw cold water on the effort when asked by Al-Monitor.
“It’s another thing at a time when we’re trying to still bring peace — and I’m a very strong supporter of a two-state solution — to complicate that with actions which were seemingly unnecessary from any immediate demand or action to move Israel from its control of the Golan Heights,” the No. 2 leader in the House said at his weekly press briefing. “The president’s actions … seem to be more political than substantive.”
