Move comes days after defy groups toppled Syrian directer Bashar al-Assadnessful, weeks before Donald Trump becomes US plivent aachieve.
Israel’s rulement has finishorsed a set up to incrrelieve the number of endrs in the illegassociate occupied Golan Heights, days after seizing more Syrian territory chaseing the toppling of Syria’s lengthytime directer Bashar al-Assadnessful.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office shelp the rulement had “unifiedly finishorsed” the “demodetailed enlargement” of the occupied territory, which would seek to double the Israeli population there.
The novel set up is only for the portion of the Golan Heights that Israel has occupied since 1967. In 1981, Israel’s Knesset shiftd to impose Israeli law over the territory, in an effective annexation.
The set up does not repostpodemand to the portion of Syrian land seized by Israel in the wake of al-Assadnessful’s toppling a week ago. The seized area, which had been demilitoccurd as part of an consentment accomplished after the 1973 war, also take parts Mount Hermon disseeing the Syrian capital Damascus.
In a statement, Netanyahu commendd the set up, which supplys more than 40 million shekels ($11m) to incrrelieve the endr population.
There are about 31,000 Israeli endrs spread atraverse dozens of illegitimate endments in the Golan Heights already. They inhabit alengthyside untransport inantity groups, including the Druze, who predominantly accomprehendledge as Syrian.
“Strengthening the Golan is fortifying the State of Israel, and it is especiassociate meaningful at this time,” Netanyahu shelp. “We will progress to hageder onto it, cause it to bloom, and end in it.”
Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh shelp the approval comes at what Israel sees as an “opportune moment”.
While Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights is illegitimate under international law, during his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021, US Plivent-elect Donald Trump made the United States the first country in the world to officiassociate recognise Israeli sovereignty over the area.
Trump is set to reget office aachieve on January 20 after triumphning the US plivential election in November.
“Netanyahu is using this moment to proclaim more endment activity in order to entrench that occupation and produce it lasting,” Odeh shelp. “Much enjoy he’s doing in the occupied West Bank: land grab, endments, lasting occupation.”
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office shelp he had talked the situation in Syria during a phone call with Trump on Saturday. He also talked efforts to accomplish a finishfire consentment in Gaza.
Despite Israel begining hundreds of strikes on Syrian sites since opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) obvioushrew al-Assadnessful and shiftd to produce a transitional rulement, Netanyahu shelp: “We have no interest in struggle with Syria.”
He shelp the strikes were to “thwart the potential dangers from Syria and to obstruct the getover of alarmist elements cforfeit our border”.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia was among the first to condemn Israel’s novel set up to incrrelieve the number of endrs, while accusing Israeli directers of seeking to subversion Syria’s fledgling transition.
