"The US statement makes absolutely no difference to the situation on the ground, makes Israeli control of the Golan in no way less precarious in terms of international law, and in no way weakens Syria's right to recover its land," Ford said.
READ MORE: Trump Mulled Recognising Golan Heights as Israel's Territory for Long Time
He added that the Syrian government, which has been on the receiving end of criticism by Turkey, France, Germany and the Arab League countries over the past years, was now receiving their expressions of support.
"In Syria itself all Syrians will be angry at the US and more likely to support [President Bashar] Assad. America's clients in Syria — the Kurds and the so-called moderate opposition — will be embarrassed," the former diplomat noted.
The remarks come after on Thursday Trump tweeted that it was time Washington fully recognised the Golan Heights territory as belonging to Israel. Prior to that, the US State Department in its human rights report changed the term "occupied" to "Israeli-controlled", when referring to the territories of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel occupied the Golan Heights in 1967 but was rebuked by the international community, including Washington. Trump ended that policy on Thursday when he tweeted "it is time" to fully recognize Israeli sovereignty over this strategic strip of land for the sake of Israel's security and regional stability.
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