Tel Aviv [Israel]: The Israeli cabinet has unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to double the settler population in the Golan Heights, according to the Times of Israel.
Currently, around 50,000 people reside on the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights, split evenly between Jewish settlers and Druze communities. The new plan, valued at 40 million Israeli New Shekel (NIS) (USD 11 million), aims to increase this population significantly.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office outlined the plan’s focus on “demographic development,” including investments in education, renewable energy projects, a student village, and initiatives to attract new residents to the region.
“Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981. While most of the international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the area, the United States granted recognition in 2019.
The development comes in the wake of significant changes in Syria. On December 8, rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the two-decade rule of Bashar al-Assad. Since then, Israel has intensified military actions, including airstrikes and a land incursion into a previously demilitarized buffer zone near the Golan Heights, according to The Washington Post.
Israeli forces have taken control of abandoned Syrian military positions, and airstrikes have significantly weakened Syria’s military infrastructure.
Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, condemned Israel’s actions as “uncalculated military adventures” but emphasized rebuilding the war-torn country.
“Syria’s war-weary condition, after years of conflict and war, does not allow for new confrontations. The priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into disputes that could lead to further destruction,” al-Sharaa said in an interview with Syria TV, quoted by The Washington Post.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "I said we would change the Middle East and we are doing so. I discussed with President-elect Trump the need to complete the victory."https://t.co/3LhJGLqlC1 pic.twitter.com/42EbYtncjV
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 15, 2024
Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu shared a bold vision for the region in a post on X:
“I said we would change the Middle East and this is what is happening. Syria is not the same Syria. Lebanon is not the same Lebanon. Gaza is not the same Gaza. Iran is not the same Iran,” he wrote.