Israel still hopes the U.S. will recognise its claim to sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, after a top U.S. official said the issue is not currently under consideration by Washington. Israel captured much of the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it, in a move not endorsed internationally. In May, a senior Israeli official said that U.S. recognition could be forthcoming within months. But in a Reuters interview during a visit to Israel this week, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said "there's no discussion of it, no decision within the U.S. government" . Netanyahu was asked whether Israel, in light of Bolton's remarks, had dropped expectations of U.S. recognition of Israel's Golan claim. He replied: "Would I give up on such a thing? No way." In the interview, Bolton said that while the United States understands Israel's claim that it has annexed the Golan Heights, "there's no change in the U.S. position for now".
