The Israeli government has decided to expand Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria. According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, “this step was necessary” after a new front opened on the Syrian border.
The Israeli prime minister has expressed his desire to double the Jewish population of the Golan Heights, which were captured during the 1967 war and are considered illegal under international law. It should be noted that recently, the Israeli army had captured several important positions on the Syrian border, including a demilitarized buffer zone on the Golan Heights.
However, at the time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that this was a temporary measure taken by Israel to protect Israel from rebel attacks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria. On Sunday, Netanyahu said in a statement that “Israel is not interested in conflict with Syria and that policy towards Syria will be determined based on the realities on the ground.”
However, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert criticized his announcement, saying, “I don’t understand any reason to expand settlement in the Golan Heights.”
Speaking on the BBC World Service’s News Hour program, he said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu said we don’t want conflict with Syria and hope we won’t have to fight the rebels who have taken control of Syria, so why are we doing the exact opposite?” The development comes as Syria’s new leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, has condemned Israel’s attacks on the country.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, there have been about 450 airstrikes in the country since December 8. Abu Muhammad al-Julani said that “these attacks could increase tensions in the region,” but added that Syria does not want conflict with any of its neighbors.
In an interview with Syrian TV, he said that “the situation after a long war does not allow for a new conflict.” It should be noted that there are 30 Israeli settlements on the Golan Heights, where about 20,000 people live. These settlements are illegal under international law. However, the area is also home to 20,000 Syrians who did not flee despite the Israeli occupation.
Where are the Golan Heights and Who Occupies Them?
The Golan Heights stretch from southwestern Syria to northeastern Israel and are currently occupied by the Israeli military. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Syrian forces attacked Israel from the Golan Heights, but Israel retaliated and not only repelled the attack but also captured approximately 1,200 square kilometers of the area. Syria attempted to regain control of the Golan Heights during the 1973 Middle East War (Yom Kippur War), but was unsuccessful.
Later, in 1974, Syria and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement that required the withdrawal of forces from both sides of the 80-kilometer-long border strip of the Golan Heights, and the area was declared an ‘Area of Deterrence’, and since then, a UN unit called the ‘Disengagement Observer Force’ has been present there to monitor compliance with the agreement.
However, in violation of the agreement, in 1981 Israel took control of its side of the Golan Heights and Jewish settlers began building homes there. Israel’s sovereignty over the territory was not internationally recognized, but in 2019, the administration of then-US President Donald Trump reversed previous US policy in this regard and recognized Israel’s right to the territory.
Syria’s position is that it will not sign any future peace agreement with Israel until it withdraws from the entire Golan Heights. In November 2024, Syria and the United Nations said that Israel was digging trenches near the buffer zone and sometimes inside it.
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Why are the Golan Heights So Important to Israel?
Israel can watch over Damascus and other parts of Syria from the Golan Heights. When Syria controlled the Golan Heights, from 1948 to 1967, it regularly used artillery to shell all of northern Israel. The Syrian capital, Damascus, is located about 60 kilometers north of these hills, and from the height of these hills, most of southern Syria, including Damascus, is clearly visible.
Because of this geography, this location provides Israel with an excellent location to monitor the movements of the Syrian army. Control of these hills provides Israel with a natural buffer against any potential military attack from Syria (as occurred during the 1973 war).
On the other hand, the Golan Heights are also an important source of water supply in this region, which consists mostly of arid land. Rainwater from these mountains flows into the Jordan River, making the land around it very fertile. This allows vineyards, fruit orchards, and pastures for livestock to thrive.
In the past, the biggest obstacle to any peace agreement between Syria and Israel has been Syria’s demand that Israel return to the pre-1967 position and completely evacuate the occupied territory.
However, if this happens, Syria would gain control of the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and would deprive Israel of a vital source of fresh water. Israel says the border should move further east to ensure it keeps access to important resources in the area. The public opinion in Israel is that Israel should retain control of the Golan Heights because people think that it is strategically important not to give it back.
Who Lives on the Golan Heights?
Syrians living in the Golan Heights were displaced after Israel captured them in 1967. Most of the Syrian Arabs who previously inhabited the Golan Heights were displaced from the area during the 1967 war.
The Golan Heights now has more than 30 Israeli settlements, home to an estimated 20,000 people. The Israelis began building settlements in the area shortly after the end of the 1967 conflict. These settlements are seen as illegal under international law, but Israel disagrees. These Jewish settlers live alongside the approximately 20,000 Syrians living here, most of whom belong to the Druze sect and who did not leave during the Israeli occupation of the Golan.
Syria claims the Golan Heights have always been its land and says it will take the area back, while Israel insists the Golan Heights are crucial for its defense and that it will keep control of them.
What has Israel done in the Golan Heights Recently?
The Syrian army withdrew from the area as rebel forces were advancing towards Damascus and Bashar al-Assad’s rule was ending, and at the same time, the Israeli Defense Forces took control of the demilitarized buffer zone on the Golan Heights. The Israeli military is also acknowledging that it is present in the area outside the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, but they say they have not gone far enough.
Netanyahu said his forces were “taking a temporary defensive position and this temporary arrangement is for the time being until a proper arrangement is made.”
He said that Israel wishes to have peaceful and neighborly relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, “but if they do not do so, we will do whatever it takes to defend the state of Israel and Israel’s borders.” Reports from Syria claim that Israel has advanced beyond the Golan Heights and has reached within 25 kilometers of Damascus, but Israeli military sources have denied this and said that the army has advanced beyond the buffer zone, but not to that extent.
Many Arab countries have criticized Israel’s recent actions in Syria. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called it “an occupation of Syrian territory and a clear violation of the 1974 agreement.” Netanyahu said he took these steps to secure Israel’s borders because the 1974 agreement was no longer “active” after rebel groups took control of Syria.
Professor Gilbert Achkar says that Israel’s position on this issue is that it wants to prevent any attack from Syria, like the Hamas attack on October 7. Many analysts are skeptical about the justification given by Israel for this move.
“Syria has never said it will not abide by the agreement, although this is a preemptive move by Israel to ensure its security, but there is no justification for any military action in the demilitarized buffer zone,” says Professor Yossi Meckleberg of Chatham House, an international affairs think tank in London.
Dr. H.A. Hellyer, of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, says the chances of Syrian rebel groups wresting control of the Golan Heights from Israel in the near future are extremely low. He believes that Syrian rebel groups will be too focused on their own problems to start a new conflict with Israel. Professor Meckleberg adds that Israel’s actions in Syrian territories could harm its relationship with future Syrian governments.
“Israel is taking precautionary steps for the worst-case scenario, but this may not be effective. It’s not the right way to rebuild friendly ties with the new government.”