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‘Trump’ Settlement in Occupied Golan Heights Is a Plan to Double Settlers

Construction work is underway in the Trump settlement in the occupied Golan Heights. (Getty Images)
Construction work is underway in the Trump settlement in the occupied Golan Heights. (Getty Images)
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‘Trump’ Settlement in Occupied Golan Heights Is a Plan to Double Settlers

Construction work is underway in the Trump settlement in the occupied Golan Heights. (Getty Images)
Construction work is underway in the Trump settlement in the occupied Golan Heights. (Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Syria’s occupied Golan Heights are strategic for his government, which is working to double the number of Jew settlers there.

The government will hold an extraordinary session in Golan in November to ratify “a national plan” for the area, the PM said.

“We are determined to double the Israeli population, establish two new settlements there, provide industrial facilities that create job opportunities and inject more investments.”

The government is providing the necessary resources to realize this vision, he stressed, adding that he will ensure his agenda is fulfilled in this regard.

The Israeli Prime Minister shed light on what is happening, east of the Golan and in Syria in general.

“We are closely following what is happening in Syria and its ties with Iran, which seeks to send its proxies and establish another army in the Golan Heights to encircle Israel.”

“We will continue to work wherever and whenever necessary, proactively and on a daily basis, in order to wind down the Iranian presence in Syria,” he warned.

Bennett further stressed that Israel’s position on the Golan Heights issue is not only related to the situation in Syria.

The “atrocities” that have been taking place there for a decade now have convinced many around the world that Israel should take over to maintain its beautiful nature rather than being turned into another battlefield.

“The Golan Heights is Israeli. Point,” he stressed.

In mid-June 2019, the “Trump Heights,” a new settlement in the occupied Golan Heights named after former president Donald Trump was unveiled, in a gesture of appreciation for his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

Since its occupation of Golan in 1967, Israel has established a city called Katzrin and 32 other settlements, inhabited by 27,000 settlers.

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Arab World

Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
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Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).
 Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).

Communication channels have been opened between the Lebanese state and the Syrian Interim Government. Diplomats conveyed a message from HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to Lebanese officials, stating that the new Syrian government has no issues with the Lebanese state.
HTS said that its problem lingers with Hezbollah, which supported the Assad regime in its attacks on the Syrian people, occupied Syrian territories, and displaced its residents.
A source close to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that the prime minister received the Syrian message “very positively” and began working toward establishing stable relations with Syria. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source disclosed that Mikati had instructed all official institutions to collaborate with HTS, which now oversees security in Syrian territories, and to coordinate on mutual security matters between the two nations.
The first tangible result of this cooperation was a meeting held on Wednesday between a delegation from HTS and the Lebanese General Security agency at the latter’s office near the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa Valley. The talks resulted in agreements on coordination frameworks to ensure security on both sides of the border.
The source explained that Mikati’s primary focus is on organizing and securing the borders. Recently, he received reports from the Lebanese Army indicating that Syrian authorities had closed 80% of the illegal crossings previously used by smugglers. The source described this as a reassuring development.
In a sign of reconciliation, the source close to Mikati noted that Turkish and Qatari envoys delivered a message confirming that the new Syrian government does not intend to revisit the conflicts of the Syrian war or seek revenge against Bashar al-Assad’s allies, including Hezbollah. The message stressed that Syria has no plans to retaliate against Hezbollah for its actions during the war, such as detaining Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon, provided that Hezbollah withdraws from Syria and ceases all military and security activities there.
Further reflecting this shift, a security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that HTS had previously facilitated the safe transfer of dozens of Hezbollah fighters and their families from Syria to Lebanon without harming or targeting them.
Despite these developments, there has yet to be any official communication between the Lebanese government and Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the transitional leader of Syria, even though two weeks have passed since the fall of the Assad regime.
Former Lebanese minister Rashid Derbas commented that Mikati had recently made an exploratory visit to Ankara to understand how the situation in Syria is unfolding. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Derbas stated that the armed factions now responsible for security in Syria face a major test of their ability to maintain stability until a new political authority is established through free and fair elections reflecting the will of the Syrian people. He noted that the Syrian Army no longer has a presence on the ground.
Derbas added that while Syrian statements about relations with Lebanon have been positive, Lebanon must remain cautious and alert to the possibility of chaos erupting in Syria and spilling over into its borders.