The Syrian Future Movement is following with grave concern the entry of the Israeli Defense Minister into Syrian territory at Mount Hermon, his inspection of the occupation forces stationed there, and his declaration from Syrian soil that his forces will remain in Mount Hermon and what he calls the “security zone.”
We in the Syrian Future Movement do not view this as a mere passing military visit or an isolated border provocation. Rather, we see it as a deliberate political and military act intended to entrench the occupation, transform the temporary incursion into a permanent reality, and impose security equations on Syria by force of arms and outside the bounds of any international legitimacy.
Syrian territory does not become a “security zone” simply because an occupying power designates it as such. No party has the right to draw up a security zone within the borders of the Syrian Arab Republic subject to its military will, nor to use its national security as a pretext for seizing the territory of another state.
The Syrian Future Movement, while appreciating the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in condemning this illegal entry and demanding an immediate and complete withdrawal, affirms the following:
First: Mount Hermon, the Golan Heights, and all Syrian territory under occupation or that has been invaded are fully sovereign Syrian lands. The occupying power has no rights over them by force, time, or fait accompli.
Second: The entry of the Israeli Defense Minister into Syrian territory and his statements about remaining there constitute an escalation that goes beyond a mere violation on the ground to a declaration of political intent to entrench the occupation. This necessitates an international response commensurate with its gravity.
Third: We categorically reject the transformation of the security concerns claimed by the occupying entity into an open-ended justification for violating Syrian borders or establishing buffer zones, security belts, and military sites within Syria. The security of any state cannot be built upon violating the sovereignty of another state.
Fourth: The Syrian Future Movement affirms that the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, international law, the UN Charter, and the principle of the inadmissibility of acquiring territory by force all constitute a clear legal basis for demanding that the international community assume its responsibilities regarding the violations occurring on Syrian territory.
Fifth: We call upon the Syrian government to move beyond political condemnation, however important it may be, to building a comprehensive national diplomatic and legal dossier documenting the incursions, attacks, newly established positions, and violations perpetrated against civilians and Syrian territory, and to present it systematically to the United Nations, the Security Council, and relevant international bodies.
Sixth: We warn that the normalization of these repeated incursions by Syrians and the international community is itself a strategic danger, because what begins as a recurring military incident may, over time, be normalized in the political and international consciousness. Occupation does not become legitimate through its frequent occurrence, and sovereignty is not forfeited through international silence.
Seventh: We affirm that Syria, emerging from a long war, needs peace, stability, and reconstruction. However, true peace does not mean accepting occupation, restraint does not mean relinquishing sovereignty, and diplomacy does not mean surrendering national rights. Indeed, the strength of a diplomatic stance begins with the clarity of the right it defends.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that what is happening in southern Syria necessitates a unified Syrian national position that transcends political alignments. Syrians’ political differences should not extend to the sovereignty of their homeland, its borders, and its territorial integrity.
We state this clearly:
Mount Hermon is Syrian land, the Golan Heights is Syrian land, and every inch of territory occupied after December 8, 2014, is Syrian land. The occupation has no right to transform its military presence there into new borders, an acquired right, or a “security zone.”
While we call upon the international community and Arab and friendly countries to take a clear and effective stance, we affirm that protecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is not only a Syrian demand, but also a defense of a fundamental principle of the international order: that borders are not changed by force, and that occupation does not create a right.
