WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington (all times local):
12:05 p.m.
President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
The document reverses more than a half-century of U.S. policy as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH’-hoo) visited the White House.
Trump had previewed the move in a tweet last week that it was time for the U.S. to take the step after 52 years of Israeli control of the strategic highlands on the border with Syria.
Netanyahu has pressed for such recognition for months. Trump’s action gives him a political boost just weeks before what’s expected to be a close Israeli election.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war but its sovereignty over the territory is not recognized by the international community.
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9:35 a.m.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH’-hoo) says he’s cutting short his visit to Washington after a Gaza rocket attack on Israel.
Netanyahu describes Monday morning’s rocket launch that struck a home in central Israel as a “criminal attack” and he’s pledging to strike back hard. He says he’ll return to Israel to handle the crisis shortly after his meeting with President Donald Trump.
An Israeli rescue service says the rocket from the Gaza Strip wounded seven people.
Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Sunday for what was to have been a three-day visit. He was going to speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s policy conference and was to be hosted at a White House dinner.
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