The occupation of the Golan Heights is a violation of international law, Germany's foreign minister said during a speech in the parliament on Wednesday, after the Israeli government decided at the weekend to double its population on the occupied strategic plateau.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also said she would make clear to Türkiye on a visit on Friday that the rights of Kurds in northern Syria must be protected.
Israel will remain on the strategic Mount Hermon site on the Syrian border until another arrangement is found, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
Israeli troops occupied Mount Hermon when they moved into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government this month.
Officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel's borders but have given no indication of when the troops might be withdrawn and Defense Minister Israel Katz last week ordered troops to prepare to remain on Mount Hermon over the winter.
Israel's move into the buffer zone created following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war has been criticized as a violation of international agreements by a number of countries and the United Nations, which have called for the troops to be withdrawn.
