Israel announces plan to increase population on Golan Heights
The Israeli government has announced the creation of a plan to boost the revival of the Golan Heights. The annexation of this region by the Hebrew country is precisely 40 years since it took control of the region in 1981 after the Six-Day War of 1967. The Israelis are now approving a plan to boost its growth through an investment strategy covering housing, transport, health and infrastructure, with a budget of $300 million, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced.
Bennett unveiled the plan, which is expected to be developed over the next five years in the Mevo Hamah kibbutz. It is estimated that there are currently around 25,000 Jews living on the Golan Heights, a figure that the Israeli government intends to increase exponentially through this plan. More than 7,000 homes will be divided between the existing settlements and the two new ones that will be created to house the 23,000 new inhabitants expected to occupy the territory, doubling the number of inhabitants. Katzrin, the largest Jewish colony in the region, currently has a population of around 7,500 and 3,300 new houses will be built there.
Asif and Matar are the names of the two new settlements to be built on the Golan Heights, which will see significant investment in transport. Education, health and technological innovation - especially in the areas of ecology and agriculture - are some of the sectors that will be the focus of this new plan. The Israeli Prime Minister also stressed that tourism is another area on which his government intends to focus thanks to the "window of opportunity" that has made the signing of this project possible.
Naftali Bennett's announcement was marked by controversy surrounding the international community's recognition of the region. The United States, under President Donald Trump, recognised the Golan Heights territory, which did not prompt recognition by the international community. Bennet made reference to this aspect at the beginning of his speech: "First of all, I must say, the Golan Heights are Israeli, that is obvious. Israeli law has applied to them since 1981 and they are beyond debate", despite only being recognised by Washington.
"After long and static years in terms of the scope of settlement, our goal today is to double the settlement in the Golan Heights," he continued, moving away from the issue of recognition of the region. It is important to note that of the current population, 26,000 are native Druze Arabs, and only 20 % of these have Israeli citizenship, another aspect that has motivated this initiative. The White House's support has been unwavering even though it is the sole supporter of Israel in this regard. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in February this year that the Golan Heights is an issue of "real importance to Israel's security".
