Israel approves plan to expand settlements in occupied Golan

Jerusalem (The Uttam Hindu): The Israeli government has approved a plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory currently occupied by Israel, according to a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. The $10.81-million plan, unanimously approved by the Cabinet, is being advanced "in light of the war and the new front with Syria," the statement said on Sunday. According to the statement, the plan aims to double the Israeli population in the Golan Heights. It includes establishing a student village, a development program to integrate new residents, and initiatives to strengthen the education system and renewable energy infrastructure, Xinhua news agency reported. "Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time," Netanyahu said on Sunday at the start of the Cabinet meeting on the plan. "We will continue to hold on to it (Golan Heights), make it flourish, and settle in it." Israel captured part of the Golan Heights during the 1967 war and annexed it, despite international condemnation. Following the downfall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on December 8, Israel seized the UN-monitored buffer zone, a demilitarised area established in 1974 under a ceasefire agreement between the two countries. Israeli forces also took control of a Syrian army outpost and stationed troops on the summit of Mount Hermon on Golan. Meanwhile, Israel increasingly launched airstrikes on Syrian army assets across the country, claiming to prevent the weapons "from falling into the hands of terrorist elements". Israel's military actions have sparked condemnation from regional countries and prompted calls from the international community for respect for Syria's sovereignty.

Since the rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the over two-decadeslong Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes across Syria and carried out a land incursion that stretches past the occupied Golan Heights into a previously demilitarised buffer zone, as reported by The Washington Post.The Israeli army swiftly took control of the abandoned army positions, and air attacks have decimated most of Syria's military capabilities. Syria's de-facto new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, denounced what he described as Israel's "uncalculated military adventures" on Saturday while emphasising he was more interested in state-building than opening another conflict. "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," The Washington Post quoted him as saying in an interview on Syria TV. Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu, in a post asserted that Israel "would change" the Middle East. "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," Netanyahu said in a post on X.