Israel will expand settlements in the Golan Heights, wants to double population

Israel will expand its settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. The government has approved a plan by Prime Minister Netanyahu about this. It is unclear whether this will also involve annexing more territory.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement that the decision was made “in light of the war and the new front in Syria.” Israel plans to double its population in the Golan Heights. Investments are being made, among other things, in education, renewable energy and the establishment of a student village.

“The strengthening of the Golan is the strengthening of the State of Israel, and that is especially important in these times,” the statement said. “We will continue to hold the area, we will allow it to prosper and we will settle there.” On the Golan Heights, about 20,000 Israelis live in several dozen settlements alongside about 20,000 Syrians, largely Druze.

After the fall of the regime of Syrian President Assad a week ago, the Israeli army entered the buffer zone with Syria. Foreign Minister Sa’ar spoke of a temporary step aimed at guaranteeing Israel’s security. Hundreds of airstrikes have also been carried out in a week on targets in Syria, including, according to Israel, storage locations for chemical weapons and missiles.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967. In the 1970s, a buffer zone was established in consultation with Syria, where no soldiers are allowed to be active.

Israel annexed the area in 1981. With the exception of the United States, the international community considers the mountain massif to be unlawfully occupied territory. After the fall of the Assad regime, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the buffer zone agreement is no longer valid.

In addition to Syria, the Golan Heights also border Lebanon and Jordan. The area is of great military-strategic importance for all these countries, including Israel.

There has been talk of expanding settlements in the Golan Heights for years. For example, in 2021 a plan by then Prime Minister Bennett was approved to build 7,300 homes for settlers over a period of five years. Syria called the plan “dangerous and unprecedented” at the time. There has been no new response to the plans yet.