Israel is planning to expand its settlements in the occupied Golan Heights, citing threats from Syria. Israel’s government has decided to double its population on the rocky plateau, which was captured by Israeli forces during the Six-Day War of 1967.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the move as necessary as a “new front” had opened up on the Israel-Syria border after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebel forces.
“Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it,” he said in a statement.
Let’s take a closer look.
Israel’s occupation of Golan Heights
Located in southwestern Syria, the Golan Heights is a 1,000-square-mile (about 2,590 square km) plateau bordering Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
Israeli forces captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War, a brief conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
It unilaterally annexed the strategic plateau in 1981, which was not recognised by most nations. Syria continues to hold part of the Golan and demands Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied areas.
In December of 1981, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed resolution 497, declaring the Golan was still an occupied territory and Israel’s annexation to be “null and void and without international legal effect”.
Syria tried to unsuccessfully retake the Golan in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Israel and Syria signed an armistice in 1974 and the plateau has since been relatively quiet, as per a Reuters report.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/israel-expand-settlement-syria-golan-heights-13844787.html.
