Israel is preparing to double the population in the annexed Syrian Golan, ignoring the risks of confrontation. A decision which rekindles tensions in an already unstable region…
In the heart of a region already plagued by instability, the Israeli government has just made a decision with serious consequences. According to a source close to the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan to double the population in the part of the Syrian Golan occupied and annexed by Israel was unanimously approved at a council of ministers.
This measure, which plans to inject more than 10 million euros to develop the localities of the Golan Heights and the town of Katzrin, comes barely a week after Israel reinforced its military presence in the buffer zone controlled by the UN separating the two countries. A timing that raises many questions about the real intentions of the Netanyahu government.
An annexation never recognized by the international community
It should be remembered that Israel conquered part of the Golan during the Six Day War in 1967, before annexing it unilaterally in 1981. An annexation which has never been recognized by the international community, with the notable exception of the United States under the presidency of Donald Trump in 2019. Today, approximately 30,000 Israeli settlers live in this highly strategic region, alongside 23,000 Druze who mostly claim to be Syrian.
The Golan will be part of the State of Israel for eternity.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
Despite the tensions, Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to reassure by affirming that Israel had “no interest in confronting Syria”. But at the same time, he insisted that “the Golan will be part of the State of Israel for eternity”, believing that everyone now understood “the capital importance” of the Israeli presence on this plateau which overlooks Galilee.
A risky bet in an explosive regional context
This project to double the population in the Golan therefore appears to be a risky bet for Israel. By reviving tensions around the status of this disputed territory, the Netanyahu government is taking the risk of an escalation with a Syria certainly weakened by years of civil war, but which has never renounced its sovereignty over the Golan.
In addition, the recent fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the rise to power of Syrian rebels further adds to the uncertainty and instability in the region. In this explosive context, Israel’s all-out colonization policy could well turn against it and lead it into a new cycle of violence with unpredictable consequences.
The Druze of the Golan, first victims of Israeli ambitions
But the first to suffer from this headlong rush could well be the Druze inhabitants of the Golan. Although they have resident status in Israel, the vast majority of them still consider themselves Syrian. Caught between two states fighting over their ancestral land, they fear paying the price for Israeli territorial ambitions and chronic instability on the Syrian side.
Faced with this inextricable situation, wisdom would dictate that Israel put an end to its fait accompli policy in the Golan. Rather than fanning the embers of a latent conflict, the Netanyahu government would be well advised to favor the path of dialogue and negotiation with its Syrian neighbors. Because by wanting to consolidate its control over a territory conquered by force, Israel could end up lastingly jeopardizing its chances of normalization and peace in the region.
