Israel Approves Plan to Double Population in Occupied Golan Heights
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Israeli regime approved a plan on Sunday to double the population in the illegally-annexed Golan Heights, while claiming it has no intention of confronting Syria despite recent military incursion in the country.
The Israeli regime unanimously approved a 40 million shekel ($11 million) plan to boost settlement development in the Golan Heights.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the strategic importance of the region, saying, “The strengthening of the Golan ... is particularly important at this time. We will continue to establish ourselves there, develop it, and settle there.”
Israel seized most of the Golan Heights in 1967 and illegally annexed the territory in 1981, a move condemned by the rest of the world but the US.
The area is home to approximately 23,000 Druze Syrians.
The decision comes amid regional instability following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week.
Netanyahu ordered Israeli troops to enter the UN-monitored buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces, portraying it as a defensive response to the emerging security vacuum.
Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran have decried Israel’s seizure of land in Syria near the occupied Golan Heights as the Israeli military continues to launch air strikes across the country.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Doha considers the Israeli incursion “a dangerous development and a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and unity as well as a flagrant violation of international law”.
Saudi Arabia slammed the Israeli moves, saying that they confirm “Israel’s continued violation of the rules of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity”.
Baghdad echoed the criticism, saying Israel has committed a “grave violation under international law”.
Iraq “stresses the importance of maintaining Syria’s sovereignty and integrity and calls on the UN Security Council to uphold its responsibility and condemn this aggression … and put an end to it,” a statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.
Iran also condemned Israel’s incursion as a violation of the law. “This aggression is a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said in a statement published last Monday.
Washington remains the only country to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a decision made under Donald Trump’s administration in 2019.
Previous Israeli cabinets have also sought to expand settlements in the Golan, with a 2021 plan under then-prime minister Naftali Bennett aiming to double the population through a $317 million initiative.