Syria Condemns Israel’s $317 Million Plan To Double Population of Golan
Syria has condemned Israel’s multimillion-dollar plan to double the population of the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. Israel’s Cabinet approved the $317 million plan on Sunday during a special cabinet meeting held in the Golan’s Kibbutz Mevo Hama. The goal of the plan is to boost the population of the Golan from its current 53,000 to 100,000 by 2025. During the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the establishment of two new communities on the Golan, which each will start with 2,000 housing units. Syria on Monday called the plan a “dangerous and unprecedented escalation” by Israel and equated it with “war crimes.” Israel captured the territory from Syria more than 50 years ago during the 1967 Six Day War, but the international community does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the strategic plateau. The United States under former President Donald Trump became the first and so far only country to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan in March 2019.