Officials close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed frustration after US National Security Adviser John Bolton ignored a request to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

The unidentified officials also complained that Bolton has not made any comment on Netanyahu’s request and rejected to carry out a visit to the occupied Syrian territories.

Netanyahu has addressed the US administration three times since the beginning of January, requesting recognition of Golan’s annexation.

The PM intended to make the demand in public when receiving Bolton on Sunday, saying: “The Golan Heights is tremendously important for our security. When you’re there, you’ll understand why we’ll never leave the Golan Heights, and why it’s important for all countries to recognize Israeli sovereignty.”

The PM’s request was ignored by Bolton who in his turn lauded the Israeli government and the security cooperation with it, reassuring Israeli officials regarding a decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from Syria.

He described the withdrawal conditions as “policy decisions that we need to implement,” saying a timeline for pullout would be necessary only once those stipulations were met.

The Trump administration would only pull troops out of Syrian territory once the Pentagon had formalized a contingency plan to shield US allies fighting there – including Kurdish fighters - Bolton stated.

"We now have the best US-Israeli relationship in our history," he said. "I would just say to any nation whether in this region or not in this region that has any doubt about America's support for Israel's self-defense: You'd better think about it again," he added.

Israel captured much of the Golan in a 1967 war with Syria and annexed the strategic plateau, a move not recognized abroad.

Asharq Al-Awsat

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