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Netanyahu Pushes Golan Heights Expansion Plan Amid Regional Tensions

© AP Photo / Ariel SchalitAn Israeli soldier walks in an old military outpost, used for visitors to view the Israeli controlled Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, Thursday, May 10, 2018
An Israeli soldier walks in an old military outpost, used for visitors to view the Israeli controlled Golan Heights, near the border with Syria, Thursday, May 10, 2018 - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.12.2024
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TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has unanimously approved a plan for the development of the Golan Heights, including strengthening local settlements and doubling the population in the region, the prime minister's office said on Sunday.
"The government unanimously approved prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to promote demographic growth in the settlements in the Golan Heights and Katzrin, with a total budget of more than 40 million shekels [$11 million]," the statement read.
The office also said that in light of the ongoing conflict and the recent opening of a new front in Syria, Netanyahu had submitted the first amendment to his plan to promote demographic growth in the Golan due to the "desire to double the population of the Golan Heights."
Israeli armored vehicles park along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 09.12.2024
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What Makes the Golan Heights Crucial for Israel?
The plan to develop the Golan Heights includes initiatives in the areas of education, renewable energy, and the establishment of a student village. It also includes an organizational development program designed to assist the Golan Regional Council in welcoming new residents.
"The strengthening of the Golan Heights is essential for the security and stability of the State of Israel. It is especially important in the current situation. We will continue to maintain, develop, and settle the area," Netanyahu said, as quoted by the office.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Golan Heights will forever remain an integral part of Israel.
"The Golan Heights will forever remain an integral part of Israel," Netanyahu told a press conference.
Israeli flag at Herzl Mount, Jerusalem - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.12.2024
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Greater Israel: Fact, Fiction, or Regional Power Play?
Israel is actively strengthening its defenses on the Golan Heights amid the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the capture of a significant part of the country by armed opposition forces. On Sunday, Netanyahu said the agreement reached shortly after the 1973 Yom Kippur War (also known as the Ramadan War) was no longer valid because the Syrian forces had left their positions. Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to occupy the buffer zone.
The fall of al-Assad in Syria was a direct result of Israeli strikes against Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Iran, the Israeli prime minister added.
The fall of al-Assad in Syria was a direct result of Israeli strikes against Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Iran, the Israeli prime minister added.
Карта Ближнего Востока с отмеченной булавкой Сирией - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.12.2024
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