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Moscow says Golan Heights decision may come as forerunner of US ‘deal of the century’

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recalled that the int'l community is only "beginning to get the reaction of the European Union"

MOSCOW, March 26./TASS/. The US decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights may come as a forerunner of the ‘Deal of the Century’ on the Middle East advanced by the US, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We are only beginning to get the reaction of the European Union that is somewhat shocked by what their NATO partners are doing with international law and directly in the region, as we have not yet started discussing the main surprise, ‘the Deal of the Century’ that Washington promises. Maybe this is a forerunner of the surprise in store for all of us," the diplomat told Rossiya-1 television.

On March 25, during a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation formally recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Earlier, Russia and Syria as well as key European states, such as Germany and France, voiced their opposition to such unilateral actions.

The Golan Heights, which had belonged to Syria since 1944, was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1981, the Israeli parliament passed a law unilaterally declaring sovereignty over the Golan Heights.