Israel approves plan to boost development in Golan Heights

The Israeli prime minister's office has announced that a plan for the development of the Golan Heights was approved. 

“This decision strengthens the settlements in the Golan Heights, particularly in such areas as education, renewable energy, the establishment of a student village, and an organisational development programme to assist the Golan Heights Regional Council in integrating new residents,” Caliber.Az reports, citing the Israeli prime minister's office.

The prime minister's office further clarified that 40 million shekels ($11.1 million at the current exchange rate) will be allocated for the implementation of the plan. The initiative is aimed at doubling the population of the Golan Heights.  

"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening Israel, and this is especially important in the current period. We will continue our presence in the Golan, its development, and settlement," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.  

On December 8, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that they had taken positions in the buffer zone of the Golan Heights, which had separated Israeli and Syrian-controlled territories since 1974. Netanyahu assured that this was a temporary defensive measure aimed at preventing potential threats to Israel, given the instability in Syria following the change of government there. He emphasised that the troops would remain in place until Israel received security guarantees for this border.

By Naila Huseynova