Israel ready to reopen Golan crossing with Syria

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday that his country is ready to reopen a border crossing with Syria for UN personnel and resume its operation as prior to the Syria war.

Lieberman told journalists during a visit to the Quneitra crossing in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights that "the UN Disengagement Observer Force has returned to the crossing and they are prepared as well", adding that "the ball is now in the Syrian court", Xinhua news agency reported.

The crossing was closed down some four years ago due to security considerations, said Lieberman. It is mainly used by UN forces stationed in the area and for the occasional passage of agricultural goods.

Quneitra was a battle zone between the Syrian Army and rebel groups, including the Al-Nusra Front. Two months ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces regained the control over the area.

Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and shortly later annexed it, claiming it part of Israel, a move never recognized internationally.

--IANS

soni/