Israel approves two new settlements on the Golan Heights

Jerusalem: Israel announced on Sunday plans for millions of dollars to develop the Golan Heights, including the establishment of two new settlements.

At a special ministerial meeting in Golan, the minister approved plans to strengthen Israeli settlements originally on Syrian territory, according to a statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the plan will create two new settlements, Asif and Matar, each with about 2,000 new homes.

The minister also decided to allocate 576 million shekels (about $ 183 million) to the town of Katzlin and the Golan Regional Council to build 7,300 new housing units over the next five years.

He added that the investment goal is to double the population of Katzlin and “significantly increase” the population of the small community of the Golan Regional Council.

In addition to tourism, R & D centers and SME development, approximately 322 million shekels will be invested in improving transportation, education, health and other infrastructure.

Israel occupied the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Middle East War and annexed it in the 1980s, but the international community is unaware of the move.

Former US President Donald Trump announced in March 2019 that he would recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

On November 5, 2020, the UN General Assembly confirmed Syria’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since the battle in June 1967.