Israel to Expand Settlements in Golan Heights

Facts

• Israel said on Sunday that it planned to double the population of settlers in the Golan Heights, a territory generally considered to be illegally occupied, though Israel contests this.^[1]
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the move, saying that a "new front" had been opened due to the fall of Damascus to anti-government forces. Israel has seized additional territory in the Golan Heights and bombed Syria's military infrastructure.^[2]
• Israel began building settlements in the Golan Heights shortly after capturing the territory from Syria in the 1967 War. The US is the only country to recognize Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, which was done in 2019.^[3]
• Syria's new transitional government has sent a formal complaint to the UN regarding Israel's recent intervention in the country — accusing Israel of being in violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement and multiple UN Security Council resolutions.^[4]
• Several countries have criticized Israel's plans to expand the Golan's settler population, with German spokesperson Christian Wagner saying on Monday that Israel's presence in the Golan Heights was an occupation and calling for Israel to "abandon this plan."^[5]
• Israel has struck Syria since the beginning of the civil war over a decade ago. On Sunday, an Israeli strike caused a massive explosion near the Syrian city of Tartus, with the impact reportedly being so intense it was detected over 500 miles (805 km) away in Turkey.^[6]

Sources: ^[1]Reuters, ^[2]BBC News, ^[3]Al Jazeera, ^[4]Great Reporter, ^[5]The Times of Israel and ^[6]The Times of India.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by BBC News. Israel should be wary of expanding its presence in the Golan Heights, as it only isolates Israel internationally and creates unnecessary problems. Israel's Western allies are committed to ensuring stability in the region and will work with Israel to prevent further conflict.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. Increased settlement of the Golan Heights is necessary to ensure Israel's security, as the region's strategic high ground will act as Israel's first line of defense against terrorist threats. With Islamic radicals taking power in Damascus, Israel must focus on responsibly securing its border.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. Israel's illegal actions in Syria are yet another example of the country's tried and true strategy of falsely claiming it's threatened so that it can steal land. The new government in Damascus is incapable of posing a serious threat to Israel, yet Israeli leaders have nonetheless created fabricated excuses to encroach on Syria's territory so that settlements can be built.