On Sunday, the Israeli government approved a plan to surge the settler population of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which comes after Israeli troops captured more land inside Syria following the downfall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The plan will spend $11 million to encourage the expansion of illegal settlements in the Golan Heights. The territory is currently populated by about 31,000 Jewish settlers and 24,000 mainly Druze Arabs, who consider themselves Syrian.
“Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it.”
Israel first captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and declared its sovereignty over the land in 1981, a move not recognized by any country until the Trump administration did so in 2019.
Since Assad fled Syria and the al-Qaeda-linked HTS took over Damascus, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes in Syria and has taken control of a buffer zone that separated the occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. Israeli troops have also invaded territory on the other side of the buffer zone and are reportedly only 15 kilometers from Damascus.
The plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights applies only to the territory Israel controlled before Assad’s downfall, but there are signs that Israel could eventually settle the land it recently seized, which settler groups already have their eye on.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israeli troops will remain in the territory, which includes Mount Hermon, through the winter. “Given what is happening in Syria, there is great security importance for us to remain on the top of Mount Hermon, a strategic location overlooking Damascus,” Katz said.
The US has backed Israel’s land grab in Syria, claiming it as a defensive action and insisting it will only be a temporary occupation.
Only until Hell freezes over.
Once the settlers move in, Israel will need to seize more land in order to create a buffer zone so that Israel can protect their buffer zone.
Israel's military aggression, its immense bombing of Syrian military installations and the illegal occupation of the demilitarized zone of the Golan (the buffer zone) in Syria violate the bilateral agreement on the disengagement of troops (the Separation of Forces Agreement) of 1974 and public international law.
The State of Israel is in fact waging an illegal, internationally outlawed war of aggression (jus ad bellum) against Syria and is not intervening against the attempt or incitement to genocide (Articles II to V of the UN Genocide Convention) by the Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich and his associates, etc.
https://www.gov.il/en/pages/israel-syria-armistice-agreement
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/golan-israelsyria/
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158131 Syria: UN chief calls for urgent de-escalation by Israeli forces, withdrawal from Golan buffer zone
https://www.ejiltalk.org/israels-use-of-force-against-syria-and-the-right-of-self-defense/
Turkey also intervenes in northern Syria.
https://www.mfa.gov.tr/relations-between-turkiye%E2%80%93syria.en.mfa
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/turkey-bombs-village-in-amediye-76894
https://anfenglishmobile.com/kurdistan/bombardment-on-mount-bagok-in-mardin-countryside-76805
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79zj7rz3l4o Turkish strikes in Syria cut water to one million people
https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/update-december-13-and-14-turkish-backed-sna-mobilization-geared-towards-assault-on-kobane/
https://rojavainformationcenter.org/2024/12/update-december-12/ SNA/Turkish strikes on Tishreen Dam
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/807682/turkish-airstrikes-across-northern-syria-leave-12-dead-over-25-wounded
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/world/middleeast/syria-turkey-kurds.html
https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/what-role-turkey-playing-syrias-civil-war
”Expand” means to steal.
Israel has the means to acquire, to buy.
Syria is playing it smart. It is disarming all armed factions, establishing a state army and biding its time against Israel. It would be great if the Syrians can start their campaign by peaceful demonstrations along the border with Israel. The new government is giving no excuse for Israel to attack after this initial opportunistic moment that availed itself with the fall of Assad. Israel will come to regret the day Assad fell.
You have not figured the US into that picture. America will help Israel to expand not Syria to become its own country. Blinken already said they are willing to "HELP" Syria. Sure they will.
Man, the Americans and Israelis are falling into the abyss of irrelevance. Do you see how Blimken is ridiculed in congressional hearings by the citizens and how Netanyahu is humiliated by Israelis. These people are under siege. They talk a big talk but they are all going to be defeated. Patience and preparation. Give it a couple of years.
Do you see how Blimken is ridiculed in congressional hearings by the citizens and how Netanyahu is humiliated by Israelis. These people are under siege. They talk a big talk but they are all going to be defeated.
Defeated? By whom? Something better? Doubtful. And "doubtful" is being generous.
In the ME, any situation without Israel is going to be better. As for America the world is better off without Pax Americana. We all want quick results. However, this is not the experience of mankind. History repeats itself. Hang in there
I thought you meant they would be "defeated" in their own countries, as in elections.
Yeah I kind of gave up hope on the electorate in the US to produce better candidates than Harris and Tump. We have a saying that people get the leaders they deserve.
The MIC is too powerful, but if Trump really reduces corruption it might open a path to reducing the MIC in the future.
Make America’s military small again!
Yeah the MIC has become a blob. The only rationalization for such a big military is because we are messing around everywhere in the world. If we were just manufacturing and trading we would only need an army of defense of the homeland.
That's what Putin said the other day addressing the Russian people. Depends how long it takes.
Syria is playing it smart. LOL. That would be a first since Syria was created 104 years ago.
LOL, Hello. I was expecting you to pop out. I missed you Tim. It's actually a little over 80 years since Syria was established under the French mandate. Anyway, you remind me of that James Cagney movie where he says "I'm on top of the world Ma." before he blows up in flames. Israel is going through the same mental breakdown as it deludes itself in claiming victory in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.
@warsrus:disqus
I'm glad I'm not a c@spiracy the@rist. Otherwise, I would have thought all this was done for !srael's benefit.
But the Russians, who are alleged to do the same in Ukraine, must be stopped with NATO bombs.
Lines on the map!
Netanyahu must have listened to someone who said to Austria that they would be happy with "Greater Germany". Sounds very much like "Greater Israel" only this time the USA is helping the dictator Bibi.
Later we will learn the "Golan Heights" has tripled in size.