Alwaght- Syrian chaotic situation these days is an opportunity for the Israeli occupation. The Israelis amid eruption of chaos in Syria following collapse of Bashar al-Assad government are expanding their occupation in Syrian territory and it seems that Tel Aviv has a plan for the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Golan controversy
The Golan Heights were part of Syria until 1967, the year a war broke out between Israel and Arab countries. In the same year, Israel seized a major part of these heights in the six-day war. In 1981, Tel Aviv unilaterally annexed it to other occupied territories. The annexation has not been recognized by a majority of countries and the UN. Until collapse of al-Assad, many European countries were calling for Israel withdrawal from this occupied Syrian territory.
Now, after the fall of al-Assad's government, the Israelis have expanded their occupation in Golan and have now occupied that part of Golan that has been under Syrian control for all the past years.
Before the fall of the al-Assad government, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) had been stationed along the Golan Heights in the form of camps and observation posts, supported by military observers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). Between the Israeli and Syrian armies, there is a 400-square-kilometer “de-escalation zone” – often referred to as the “demilitarized zone” – where the presence of military forces from both sides is prohibited under the ceasefire agreement.
According to the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, approved on May 31, 1974, an "Alpha Line" was established in the west of the area of separation, behind which Israeli military forces were to remain, and a "Bravo Line" in the east, behind which Syrian military forces were to remain. There is also a "restriction zone" 25 kilometers deep on both sides of the disengagement zone in which the parties face restrictions on the deployment of forces and the types and quantities of weapons permitted.
Changing the equations
What more than any other thing shows itself is the change of equations after fall of al-Assad. It look like that the Israelis have lofty plans to expand the areas already under their occupation in Syrian territory.
Doubling Golan population: Reports, including from Reuters, suggest that the Israeli regime has agreed to double the population of the Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Strengthening Golan is strengthening Israel, and this is especially important now. We will continue to protect it, develop it and build settlements in it.”
Netanyahu’s office announced in a statement that the government unanimously voted to allocate 40 million shekels ($11 million) to “encourage population growth” in the Golan Heights. The statement said that Netanyahu presented the plan to the government “in light of the war and the new front in Syria and the desire to double the population of the Golan.” According to Avraham Levine, an analyst at the Alma Research and Education Center, there are currently 31,000 Israelis living in the Golan Heights, as well as 24,000 Druze Arab minorities, most of whom identify as Syrian. After Israel annexed the Golan Heights, the Druze population in the area were offered citizenship, but most of turned down the offer, retaining their Syrian identity. Many Golan residents are engaged in agriculture, such as viticulture and tourism.
Expanding occupied regions in Golan: On the other hand, following the new advances of the Israeli forces in Syrian territory, the regime's media announced that the Israeli army has occupied more than 370 square kilometers of that country's territory. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that the Israeli forces, having detonated a minefield, are advancing to the outskirts of Daraa near the occupied Golan. In this regard, the cabinet of Netanyahu, taking advantage of the conditions in Syria, approved a plan to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied Golan.
Why does Israel have an eye on Golan?
If we want to give the shortest answer to the question about Israeli reason for occupation of Golan, it is the fear of threats. Israeli leaders find Golan a passage for threats to Israel from Syrian borders. However, it is not only the fear of threats that motivates Israelis to occupy Golan. There are other drivers:
Settlement in Golan, the key to continuation of occupation tactic: Netanyahu has stressed on settlement projects in Golan in his latest remarks. It is useful to know that settlement construction has always been the key to the Israeli occupation of various areas. From the Israeli perspective, settlement building will create ownership rights for the Israelis, and this method can pave the way for the complete annexation of the settled areas to other occupied areas. In Golan, Netanyahu also intends to pave the way for the annexation of these areas to other occupied areas by building new settlements. In this regard, although European countries and the UN are against the annexation of Golan, it seems that Trump has given Netanyahu the green light, and some speculations indicate that Trump is seeking to formalize the occupation of Golan by Israel. Therefore, with the arrival of Trump to power, the Israelis have gained more courage to completely occupy the Golan.
Setting up human shield: It should also be taken into consideration that Israel is actually trying to establish a human shield in Golan through building Jewish settlements and settling civilians in this occupied territory. The construction of Israeli settlements due to the settlement of the civilian population will reduce the possibility of a foreign attack on the occupied areas due to the presence of civilians. Given that the international community and the UN have not accepted the occupation of the Golan, the situation in Golan is much more fragile than in other occupied areas, and therefore it will be more important for the Israelis to create a human shield in Golan through settlement construction.
Defying the international community: In the latest international meeting on Syria in Jordan, the participating countries called for Israel to avoid Golan and return the occupied parts to Syria. In defiance of the call, Israel approved settlement projects in Syrian territory two days after the meeting. This signals that Tel Aviv is defying all of the norms of the international system. Actually, this is a defiance of international laws like defiance of the UN resolutions and demands. Meanwhile, no one among Western American leaders opposes this unruly behavior.
