The occupied Syrian Golan – Report of the Secretary-General (A/80/443)

14 October 2025

Eightieth session

Agenda item 50

Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories

The occupied Syrian Golan

Report of the Secretary-General

Summary

The present report has been prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/90 of 4 December 2024, in which the Secretary-General was requested to report to the Assembly at its eightieth session on the implementation of the resolution.

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/90. In paragraph 1 of that resolution, the Assembly called upon Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions on the occupied Syrian Golan, in particular Security Council resolution 497 (1981), in which the Council, inter alia, decided that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan was null and void and without international legal effect and demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, rescind forthwith its decision.
2. In paragraph 2 of its resolution 79/90, the General Assembly also called upon Israel to desist from changing the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan and in particular to desist from the establishment of settlements. In addition, in paragraph 7 of that resolution, the Secretary-General was requested to report to the Assembly at its eightieth session on the implementation of the resolution.

II. Implementation of General Assembly resolution 79/90

3. On 14 May 2025, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on behalf of the Secretary-General, addressed a note verbale to the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations referring to General Assembly resolution 79/90 and requesting information on steps taken or envisaged concerning the implementation of the resolution. At the time of finalization of the present report, no reply had been received from the Government of Israel.
4. In addition, on 14 May 2025, OHCHR addressed, on behalf of the Secretary-General, a note verbale to all permanent missions and permanent observer missions in Geneva to draw their attention to General Assembly resolution 79/90 and to request Member States and non-member observer States to provide information on any steps taken or envisaged concerning the implementation of the relevant provisions of the resolution. The Permanent Missions of Andorra, Iraq, Mexico, Qatar and the Syrian Arab Republic responded to that request.
5. On the same day, OHCHR addressed, on behalf of the Secretary-General, a note verbale to the competent United Nations organs, specialized agencies, international and regional intergovernmental organizations and international humanitarian organizations to bring the resolution to their attention. At the time of reporting, no responses had been received.

III. Replies received

A. Syrian Arab Republic

6. On 26 May 2025, the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic addressed a note verbale to OHCHR concerning the implementation of General Assembly resolution 79/90.
7. The Syrian Arab Republic underscored that resolution 79/90, and other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, remain unimplemented by the occupying Power, Israel. Those resolutions include Security Council resolution 497 (1981), in which the Council decided that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and without international legal effect.
8. The Syrian Arab Republic emphasized that, since 1967, the international community had rejected the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan and had repeatedly called for its end, including through numerous resolutions that stressed the need for the complete withdrawal of Israel to the line of 4 June 1967 and the cessation of all practices that violate the rights of the Syrian population under occupation.
9. The Syrian Arab Republic further noted that the Syrian population in the occupied Syrian Golan continued to categorically reject attempts to impose illegal Israeli jurisdiction on them, as evidenced by their boycott of the so-called local elections, as an expression of their adherence to their national identity and their rejection of any form of annexation.
10. The Syrian Arab Republic underlined that the occupying authorities, in violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949, continued to impose effective military authority over the Golan, which constituted a continuous violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law and a clear indication of the adoption of a systematic policy of aggression, including through violations of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian Forces and the launching of repeated attacks on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.
11. The Syrian Arab Republic condemned the continued Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Golan, including the plans announced at the end of 2021 to double the number of settlers within five years, expand settlements, build new settlement units, seize Syrian land and establish projects such as wind farms that would cover more than 6,000 dunums. It affirmed that those practices constituted a violation of the obligations of the occupying Power under international law, in particular the principle prohibiting the exploitation of resources or occupied lands for the benefit of the occupying Power, and a systematic violation of fundamental human rights, including the rights to health, housing and a decent standard of living.
12. The Syrian Arab Republic noted that those settlement policies were accompanied by a series of discriminatory and colonial measures, most notably the confiscation of land, restrictions on the urban growth of the occupied Syrian villages, the denial of residents’ access to their natural resources and the imposition of Israeli legal systems that violated the principle of the unity and integrity of the occupied territories.
13. The Syrian Arab Republic underlined the restrictions on the agricultural sector that persisted as part of what it considered to be a racist plan aimed at promoting agricultural activities in the settlements at the expense of Syrian farmers’ lands, which constituted a violation of the right to work and sustainable development.
14. The Syrian Arab Republic emphasized that the occupation authorities continued to pressure Syrian citizens to accept Israeli property ownership documents instead of documents issued by the Syrian State, which it considered to be an unlawful attempt to alter the legal status of the occupied lands and to facilitate their appropriation through arbitrary procedures, including those carried out by occupation courts.
15. The Syrian Arab Republic also highlighted the housing crisis in the villages of the occupied Golan, which had worsened due to restrictions preventing Syrian residents from building and the refusal to expand zoning plans , in direct violation of the right to adequate housing and a dignified standard of living.
16. The Syrian Arab Republic emphasized that the occupation authorities continuously sought to impose Israeli citizenship and identity on the Syrian population, deny Syrians contact with their homeland and prevent them from exercising their social and cultural rights, which constituted a blatant violation of relevant international covenants.
17. The Syrian Arab Republic referred to the appendix to the report of the Director-General of the International Labour Organization on the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories (ILC.113/DG/APP, published in May 2025), in which, it said, the Director-General highlighted the continued violations against Syrian workers in the Golan, including discrimination, restrictions on employment opportunities and limitations on trade union rights.
18. The Syrian Arab Republic noted that the occupation authorities continued to exploit the healthcare situation as a means of pressure by imposing costly health insurance systems and denying residents access to adequate medical facilities, a reality that became particularly evident during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, the Syrian Arab Republic noted that doctors and students in the Golan faced severe difficulties with regard to mobility and access to universities and academic events in their homeland.
19. The Syrian Arab Republic affirmed that the continued disregard by Israel of General Assembly resolution 79/90 constituted a blatant challenge to international law and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and called for:

• The rejection of any direct or indirect support for the policies of the occupying Power in the occupied Syrian Golan, including economic or tourism-related activities in the settlements.
• Measures to oblige Israel to comply with international resolutions, in particular Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 497 (1981) and 2334 (2016), as well as the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
• The updating of the database of businesses involved in settlement activities in the occupied Syrian Golan and measures to hold accountable all entities that contribute directly or indirectly to entrenching the occupation.
• The reopening of the Qunaytirah crossing to allow the people of the Golan to exercise their rights to freedom of movement, education, healthcare and family visits, in accordance with the principles of international humanitarian law.
• The taking of effective measures to monitor and document Israeli violations in the occupied Golan and to hold the occupying authorities legally accountable for the harm inflicted on the population and the land.

20. Finally, the Syrian Arab Republic reiterated its affirmation that the occupied Syrian Golan is an integral part of its territory, and that the recovery of the occupied Syrian Golan by all legitimate means recognized under international law is an inalienable right that does not lapse with time. The Syrian Arab Republic affirmed that the achievement of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East requires the full implementation of all resolutions related to ending the Israeli occupation of Arab lands, including the occupied Syrian Golan.

B. Andorra

21. On 21 May 2025, the Permanent Mission of Andorra to the United Nations addressed a note verbale to OHCHR, informing it that the Government of Andorra had not taken any steps with regard to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 79/90.

C. Iraq

22. On 30 May 2025, the Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations addressed a note verbale to OHCHR. Iraq stressed that it considered the occupation of the Syrian Golan by the occupying Power to be a blatant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. Iraq reaffirmed its full support for the Syrian Arab Republic with regard to the restoration of its occupied territories in the Golan and emphasized that any actions undertaken by the occupying Power in the Golan, whether through settlement or the alteration of facts on the ground, were illegal and constituted a flagrant breach of international conventions.
23. Iraq noted that it continued to demand the complete withdrawal of the occupying Power from the occupied Syrian Golan in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Iraq stressed the necessity of exerting international pressure on the occupying Power to comply with United Nations resolutions and respond to the demand of the international community for an end to the occupation.
24. Iraq strongly condemned the violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces and their seizure of the buffer zone with the Syrian Arab Republic in the Golan and the surrounding areas, which represented a blatant violation of international law and the relevant internationally recognized resolutions.
25. Iraq referred to paragraph 5 of resolution No. 905, regarding developments in the Syrian Arab Republic, adopted at the 34th regular session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the summit level, held in Baghdad on 17 May 2025, and underlined that, in the resolution, the Council strongly condemned the repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation forces on Syrian territory, which constituted a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and a blatant and unacceptable attempt to exploit the current sensitive situation in the country to seize and occupy its land and fuel internal discord and conflict; strongly condemned the incursion of occupation forces into the buffer zone in the Syrian Arab Republic and the surrounding areas in Mount Hermon and the governorates of Qunaytirah, Rif Dimashq and Dar‘a, which is considered a brutal occupation and a violation of international law and of the Disengagement Agreement signed in 1974; and called upon the Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities by putting an end to those continuous attacks and violations, compelling the occupation forces to respect international law, deterring such provocative and aggressive behaviour and urging the Israeli occupation forces to immediately withdraw from the Syrian territories that they have recently occupied.

D. Mexico

26. On 16 June 2025, the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations addressed a note verbale to OHCHR, informing it that Mexico had maintained a position consistent with international law and Security Council resolutions on the matter, including Security Council resolution 497 (1981). Mexico noted that this stance likewise applied to the legislative or administrative measures and actions mentioned in General Assembly resolution 79/90.

E. Qatar

27. On 30 May 2025, the Permanent Mission of Qatar addressed a note verbale to OHCHR with regard to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 79/90.
28. Qatar noted the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and highlighted the fact that, in December 2024, the Security Council had decided to renew the mission’s mandate for six months, expressing concern over military activities in the area. Qatar added that the United Nations had confirmed that the presence of Israeli forces in the buffer zone was in violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and had called for their immediate withdrawal.
29. Qatar highlighted the international condemnation of plans by Israel to expand settlements, particularly the plans it had announced to increase the Israeli population in the occupied Golan, which had drawn condemnation from several countries. Qatar noted that those countries had considered the plans to be a violation of international law and Security Council resolution 497 (1981).
30. Qatar drew attention to Israeli movements in the buffer zone, highlighting the fact that, following political changes in the Syrian Arab Republic, Israeli forces had entered areas formerly under Syrian army control, which had raised international concern about a possible escalation in the region.
31. In conclusion, Qatar stated that countries such as itself had called for more effective measures against Israeli policies in the occupied Golan, including the imposition of sanctions or diplomatic actions to pressure the “[Israeli] entity” to comply with international resolutions. Despite those measures, the “Israeli entity” continued its policies in the occupied Golan, which underscored the need for increased international pressure to enforce relevant United Nations resolutions.