UN Security Council Votes to Extend Golan Heights Peacekeeping Mandate

(MENAFN) The UN Security Council voted unanimously Monday to prolong the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) mandate in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for an additional six-month period extending through June 30, 2026.

All 15 council members approved the resolution, which was jointly presented by the US and Russia.

Following the vote, US Deputy Representative to the United Nations Tammy Bruce praised the resolution's passage, highlighting the "important role" of UNDOF for "upholding peace, security and stability along the Israel-Syria border."

Russia's senior counsellor to the UN, Dina Gilmutdinova, similarly endorsed the mandate extension while urging Israel to mirror Syria's approach and "exercise restraint, avoiding any unilateral, illegitimate and provocative steps."

"We call on it also to maintain regular contacts with UNDOF to settle any differences which arise," she said, expressing gratitude to the UNDOF mission and its personnel.

Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, referenced the UN's disengagement agreement, asserting that anyone examining the resolution would recognize that "Israel continues to violate every word of that agreement."

Olabi emphasized Israel's nearly six-decade occupation of the Golan Heights, noting the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in early December demanding Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territories.

Wishing UNDOF personnel a safe year amid "the Israeli recklessness within its area of operations," he said: "Given that Syria was mentioned a couple of weeks ago as part of a new New Year's resolution for the Security Council by a certain delegation, let me share our new New Year's resolution in this context."

"It's an UNDOF force that can operate to fulfill its mandate freely and without being surrounded by Israeli occupation forces from each and every side. And of course, our resolution, although that falls within the realm of wishful for thinking, unfortunately, is an Israel that abides by Security Council resolutions and adheres to international law," he said.

Historic Disengagement Framework
The May 31, 1974 agreement mandated Israel's withdrawal from all Mount Hermon territories seized during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, plus approximately 25 square kilometers (9.6 square miles) encompassing Quneitra and surrounding areas.

The framework establishes the present Israel-Syria border alongside corresponding military protocols, instituting two separation lines—Israeli (blue) and Syrian (red)—with an intervening buffer zone.

UNDOF supervises the agreement's implementation, charged with preserving the ceasefire between Israel and Syria established after the 1973 conflict.

Since 1974, UNDOF has continuously patrolled the buffer zone separating Israeli-controlled and Syrian-controlled territories.

Israel captured the majority of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war, subsequently annexing the territory—a decision the international community has never legitimized.

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