Condemnations as Israel approves plan to double annexed Golan population
ANKARA
Türkiye has joined several countries that condemned a decision taken by the Israeli government to expand the illegal settlements in the Golan Heights.
“We strongly condemn Israel's decision to expand illegal settlements in the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967. This decision is a new stage in Israel's goal of expanding its borders through occupation,” read a written statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Dec. 16.
Ankara’s reaction came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government’s decision to double the settlements in the Golan Heights.
Israel has intensified its military activities inside Syria in recent days in a bid to take advantage of the transitional period in Syria after the opposition groups toppled Bashar al-Assad’s rule on Dec. 8.
“This step by Israel is a source of grave concern, taken together with Israel’s entry into the area of separation in violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, its advance into adjacent areas and airstrikes in Syria,” read the statement by Ankara.
On the decision, Netanyahu’s office said that the government "unanimously approved" the 40 million shekels [$11 million] "plan for the demographic development of the Golan... in light of the war and the new front in Syria and the desire to double the population.”
Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau, since 1967 and annexed that area in 1981, a move recognized only by the United States.
Netanyahu said that "the strengthening of the Golan is that of the State of Israel, and it is particularly important at this time. We will continue to establish ourselves there, develop it and settle there.”
The occupied Golan is home to around 30,000 Israelis and about 23,000 Druze Arabs, whose presence predates the occupation and most of whom retain Syrian citizenship.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar swiftly denounced the Israeli move.
Riyadh's Foreign Ministry expressed "condemnation and denunciation" of the plan in a statement, calling it part of the "continued sabotage of opportunities to restore security and stability in Syria.”
Doha said the Israeli declaration was a "new episode in a series of Israeli aggressions on Syrian territories and a blatant violation of international law.”
The United Arab Emirates warned that the move will lead to increased tensions.
In a statment, Germany aIso urged Israel to “abandon” the plan for more Golan Heights settlements
Last week, Netanyahu declared that the annexed Golan would be Israeli "for eternity.”
That followed an order he gave for troops to cross into the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces since 1974.
Meanwhile, heavy Israeli airstrikes were reported in Syria’s coastal Tartus region overnight, with the army targeting military sites in the latest such raids since the fall of Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor described the attacks “the heaviest strikes in Syria’s coastal region since the start of strikes in 2012.”