Israel’s plan to boost settlements in Golan is met with conflicting emotions

Israel’s plan to boost settlements in Golan is met with conflicting emotions

Sub : IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

• In recent developments, Israel has been expanding its presence in the Golan Heights following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar Assad after nearly 25 years in power.

Israel’s actions in the Golan Heights:

• After the ousting of Bashar Assad, Israeli tanks entered the Golan Heights’ demilitarized buffer zone in Syria, which was part of the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria. Israel stated that this was a temporary move to secure its border.
• Israel has approved an $11 million plan to double the population of Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights.

Legal Status of Golan Heights:

• The international community considers the Golan Heights to be occupied Syrian territory.
• In 2019, the US became the only country to officially recognize Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, a move that has been widely criticized by other nations.
• The UN continues to regard Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights as illegal under international law.

Demographics:

• Approximately 50,000 people currently reside in the Golan Heights, roughly half of them Israeli settlers and the other half Arab Druze.
• The Druze, an Arab religious minority, live in several countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the Golan Heights. Many Druze in the Golan Heights consider themselves Syrians under Israeli occupation and have opted for Israeli residency rather than full citizenship.

Kibbutz:

• A kibbutz (plural: kibbutzim) is a collective community in Israel, traditionally based on agriculture and founded on principles of shared ownership, equality, and communal living.
• The kibbutz system was established in the early 20th century by Jewish immigrants with the aim of creating self-sustaining, socialist communities in Israel.