Nadene Goldfoot
The Golan Heights is always mentioned even lately as a point of contention in Syria.
Jewish Israelis overwhelmingly view the Golan Heights as a vital strategic asset and a deeply rooted part of their historical, biblical heritage (the ancient Bashan). The area’s name is from the biblical city of refuge Golan in Bashan (Deuteronomy 4:43; Joshua 20:8).The region, known as the Bashan, has a rich Jewish history from the Second Temple period, featuring cities of refuge and ancient synagogues. So this establishes that it is part of our ancient history.
Jews lost control of the Bashan area (Golan Heights) to Syria through a combination of early Islamic conquests, modern boundary shifts, and 20th-century geopolitical agreements. The region was officially transferred to French-controlled Syria in 1923 by colonial powers, and the final small Jewish presence was expelled by Syrian authorities in 1947 before Israel's independence.
WAR OF 1967
The Six-Day War, or the 1967 Arab–Israeli war (5–10 June 1967), was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, in the context of the Arab–Israeli conflict. This has turned out to be a decisive factor with the surprise of Israel winning against such a huge force, but we Jews had everything to lose and fought with heart and soul. Israelis feel they had help from G-d, for the odds against them were terrible. Winning caused Arabs to go to Kartoum, Sudan, Africa for a meeting where they decided they all were against Israel in every respect and came up with their No, No No. Pretty embarrassing for them to lose in 6 days, too.
Golan Heights, hilly area overlooking the upper Jordan River valley on the west. The area was part of extreme southwestern Syria until 1967, when it came under Israeli military occupation, and in December 1981 Israel unilaterally annexed the part of the Golan it held. Annexing a piece of land is the legal process of bringing unincorporated, contiguous property into a city's corporate limits, allowing the municipality to extend services like water, sewer, and police to the new area. It is commonly voluntary through owner petitions but can be involuntary, with the aim of expanding tax bases, managing growth, and applying city zoning standards.
The Druze community in the Golan Heights—numbering around 20,000 across five villages—are indigenous to the area, having lived there under Ottoman and French rule prior to Syrian independence. The largest urban locality in the Golan Heights is the Druze town of Majdal Shams, with a population of over 11,000, while Katzrin is the largest Israeli settlement. It's 1985 population was 22,500 (including Druze).
The population of Katzrin, known as the capital of the Golan Heights, is approximately 8,000–8,100 Israeli residents as of late 2024. As the largest Jewish locality in the area, it acts as an urban center for the region's rural communities.
Total population estimates for the area vary, with recent figures indicating roughly 27,000–31,000 Israeli settlers and roughly 24,000–29,000 Druze residents.
When Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967, this community was separated from their countrymen and remained under Israeli occupation, later becoming Israeli residents in 1981. Druze happen to be good friends of Israel.
It is seen as essential for national security to prevent attacks from the plateau. Syria had only used the Golan Heights for its height in hitting Israelis below. The Plateau's Strategic Role: Before 1967, Syria used the plateau to bombard Israeli communities in the valley below. 1973 Yom Kippur War: Syria launched a major offensive on October 6, 1973, from the plateau, temporarily retaking parts of the Golan Heights before being repelled.
In 2019, the U.S. recognized Israeli sovereignty over the region. Even lately, on July 27, 2024, a rocket attack, attributed by Israel to Hezbollah, hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens. This attack from the surrounding, higher-elevation terrain highlighted the extreme strategic vulnerability of the plateau's topography, which overlooks both the Israeli Galilee region and parts of Syria. Syria is at it again.
Israel and Syria today confirmed they are holding indirect peace talks with Turkey as the mediator. I don't think either country is happy with Turkey as Erdogan is not a friend of Israel at all. "Erdogan intensifies rhetoric against Israel, MK calls him a 'megalomaniacal dictator'. Erdogan’s harsh rhetoric is considered to be part of his ongoing narrative attempting to position Turkey as a staunch defender of Palestinian rights."
Since the creation of Israel 60 years ago, the two states have fought three wars, two of them over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau between the countries that was captured by Israel in 1967.
Resource:
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/consequences-1967-war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_recognition_of_the_Golan_Heights_as_part_of_Israel
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-892720
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia (Book)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War
