At its head, Yarden Freimann, estimates that, within a year, Trump Heights will double its population and within three years, 99 families will be installed in new houses located on spacious lots.
And the colony could soon benefit from official support, the Israeli government having approved on December 15 40 million shekels (10.6 million euros) of investments to double the population on the Golan, partly conquered by Israel on Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and two-thirds annexed in 1981.
The announcement followed the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria, with Israeli leaders viewing the country's new authorities as a threat.
Israel wants to double the population of the occupied Syrian Golan
“Civil border”
In the Jewish communities of the Golan, the newly allocated budget was warmly received, especially after more than a year of rocket fire and drone attacks by Lebanese Hezbollah from neighboring Lebanon, claiming to act in support of its ally Hamas , at war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
“We are very happy that the government understands the importance of the Golan and the need to invest, not only in security, but also in the development of the community here,” said Yaakov Selavan, deputy head of the Golan regional council. Golan.
“As the northeastern border of Israel, we are not there just for the view,” he said, adding that the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 on Israeli soil showed “the need for a strong civil border” capable of defending the country's physical border.
“After the worst tragedy in the history of the modern State of Israel, we must now continue to build and rebuild better,” adds Yaakov Selavan, who lives in the town of Yonatan on the Golan.
A strategic development plan for the region, which has around 30,000 Jewish settlers and some 23,000 Druze whose presence predates the occupation and who remain largely loyal to Syria, is being developed, he assures. he.
In addition to improving roads and infrastructure and expanding existing communities, including the Golan's only town, Katzrin, the plan calls for the creation of three new communities, one next to Trump Heights and another, potentially on a controversial strip of land subject to dispute with Lebanon.
“We have just received the documents from the Israeli Land Authority,” says Mr. Selavan, pointing on a map to the area known to the Israelis as “Mount Dov” and to the Lebanese as “Shebaa Farms”.
Contacted by AFP regarding this information, the Land Authority did not immediately respond.
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“Pioneers”
In Trump Heights, the earth has already been cleared to lay the foundations for around fifty new houses.
Mr. Freimann says that since the arrival of the first family in 2021, the community has grown and now includes around 70 adults and more than 60 children under the age of 13 who have come from all over Israel to live in the annexed territory. .
“They are pioneers,” he says.
The growth of the community, a mix of religious and secular Jews, has been slow, despite attempts by previous governments to encourage it, he continues.
In front of one of the makeshift houses, Yedidya Ostroff, 31, collects tree branches and dead leaves.
He moved into Trump Heights with his wife on Tuesday. “We came here because the vision of this community, its people and their aspirations for the future were a perfect fit for us,” he says.
As for the volatility of the security situation, the new arrival says he is not worried: “This is what we know, unfortunately. I hope the situation remains calm.”
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