@article{article_1749803, title={ISRAEL AND SYRIA DISPUTE: THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE EXPANSION OF THE OCCUPATION OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS}, journal={Law and Justice Review}, pages={137–152}, year={2025}, author={Karaoglu, Ali Osman}, keywords={Uluslararası Hukuk, Altı Gün Savaşı, Suriye, İsrail, Golan Tepeleri, Hermon}, abstract={The principal source of contention between Syria and Israel is the Golan Heights, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Six-Day War. In that war, Israel launched an attack on neighboring Arab states, occupying the entire territory of Palestine, the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, negotiations began between Israel and neighboring states, but only Egypt and Israel managed to conclude a lasting peace agreement through the Camp David Accords. The dispute with Syria over the Golan Heights, however, remained unresolved. Only a Ceasefire Agreement was signed in 1974, but Israel retained its status as an occupying power. In 1981, Israel formally annexed the Golan Heights, an act that was recognized by the U.S. President in 2019. Syria, meanwhile, has not undertaken any major military operation to recover the territory since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Furthermore, the Golan Heights dispute remained a secondary issue due to Syria’s preoccupation with civil war from March 2011 until December 2024. During this time, Israel not only maintained but further entrenched its occupation through military means and the establishment of illegal settlements. In December 2024, with the fall of the Assad regime, Israel expanded its occupation to include Mount Hermon and the United Nations Buffer Zone established under the 1974 Ceasefire Agreement, thereby deepening the conflict. This study will first examine the international legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights since 1967, and the expansion of this occupation at the end of 2024. It will then assess the potential avenues for resolving the dispute. In this context, the paper will initially consider diplomatic avenues and subsequently explain the legal possibilities for the use of force within the framework of Article 51 of the UN Charter and General Assembly Resolution 3314 on the Definition of Aggression.}, number={30}, publisher={Türkiye Adalet Akademisi}