Security Council to address U.S. view on Golan Heights

March 27 (UPI) -- The United Nations Security Council will meet Wednesday evening to discuss the United States' recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights area.

The meeting was called after a request by Syria to address what it called a "flagrant" U.S. violation of a Security Council resolution that does not acknowledge Israeli control of the area located between Israel and Syria.

The Security Council says on its website the meeting will address the "situation in the Middle East."

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Monday officially recognizing Israel's claim of the Golan Heights. He signed the proclamation as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood next to him in the Oval Office.

"This was a long time in the making. Should have taken place decades ago," Trump said.

Russia, the European Union and Arab League all rejected the declaration.

The U.S. move was signaled earlier this month by a State Department report that, for the first time, called the Golan area "Israeli-controlled" rather than the traditional term "Israeli-occupied."

The Golan Heights has been disputed for more than 50 years, since Israel began occupying the region during the 1967 Israeli-Arab War. Before that, it belonged to Syria and is still considered by many nations as Syrian territory. Israel annexed the territory in 1981.

Netanyahu said Jewish roots in the Golan Heights go back thousands of years.

"Your proclamation comes at a time when Golan is more important than ever for our security," he told Trump Monday.