Opinion | Trump’s Pointless Provocation on the Golan

President Trump’s proposed reversal of decades of American policy on the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights has more to do with Israeli politics than American interests — or good sense.

On Thursday, he announced on Twitter that the United States should recognize Israeli sovereignty in the disputed Golan Heights, on Israel’s border with Syria, even though no other country has done so. The United Nations has declared that official annexation of the territory would violate international law.

Mr. Trump created a controversy where none needed to exist. Israel has been under no pressure to end the occupation of the Golan, which began during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War with the seizure of some 400 square miles by Israeli troops.

But Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing a tough re-election fight, and he has pleaded with Mr. Trump to make the move. The tweet bolsters his claim that he can best keep Israel safe because of his close ties to the White House.