The Golan Heights, a part of Syria has been occupied by
Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. Israel claims to have unilaterally annexed
the Golan Heights in 1981, as is the case of East Jerusalem. Most of the
region's indigenous Syrians - an estimated 90,000 Christians, Muslims and Druze
- were expelled from the 70 percent of the Golan Heights under Israeli control.
Today, only some 20,000 Syrian Druze live in six villages still standing in the
territory, while more than 21,000 Israeli settlers reside in dozens of
Jewish-only colonies. Israel offered citizenship to the remaining indigenous
Syrian population, the vast majority rejected that offer, and instead, hold
Israeli-issued travel documents that classify them as "stateless".
John Quigley, an international law expert and professor at
Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, explained because the occupation
of the Golan Heights is considered "unlawful", Israel "may not
extract wealth for its own benefit" despite its long history of exploiting
natural resources in the Golan Heights.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
occupied Golan Heights control "the main water sources" of Israel.
The BBC reported that the area accounts for a third of Israel's freshwater
supply. Rainwater from the Golan's
catchment feeds into the Jordan River. Syria wants a full Israeli withdrawal to
the pre-1967 border. This would give Damascus control of the eastern shore of
the Sea of Galilee - Israel's main source of fresh water. Israel wishes to
retain control of Galilee and says the border is located a few hundred metres
to the east of the shore.The land is fertile, with the volcanic soil being used
to cultivate vineyards and orchards and to raise cattle. The Golan is also home
to Israel's only ski resort.
Afek Oil and Gas, an Israeli company, has been granted
exclusive license to conduct exploratory drilling for oil t 10 sites. Afek is a
subsidiary of Genie Energy Limited, a New Jersey-based company for which former
US Vice President Dick Cheney is an adviser. Condemnation from the Israli side
has been voiced on nearly uniform environmental grounds, the threat of
potential pollution of the Sea of Galilee. Aamer Ibrahim, a founding member of
the Majdal Shams-based activist group Uploading Conscription, however, recognizes
that the drilling plans "is not
about environmental protections as much as Israel's taking resources from the
indigenous Syrian population" in the Golan Heights. "These plans
should be seen in the broader context of economic projects in the region, which
include its utilisation of both human and natural resources." He added, "The
ongoing Syrian civil war and the world's focus on it have provided Israel with
an opportunity to expand its presence here and continue violating international
law publicly without much attention from the international community,"
Golan Heights-based activists and local human rights groups
fear the decision to drill for oil is part of a broader trend of increased
Israeli settlement activity and strengthening of Israeli institutions and
businesses.
Israeli authorities intend to invest greatly in the Golan
settlement of Katzrin. The funds will go to the Ohalo College, an Israeli
academic institute, as well as encouraging "local tourism through 19
million shekels [more than $5.5m] worth of financial investments in museums and
parks" and religious centres. In January 2014, Israeli authorities approved
a plan to expropriate more than 7,400 acres of agricultural land in the Golan
involving the establishment of 750 farming estates with a $108m investment from
the Israeli government to provide agricultural training, water system upgrades.
There are always underlying economic reasons to the causes
of war
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