Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli decision to expand settlements in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights

By Ibrahim Khazen

RIYADH (AA) – Saudi Arabia condemned an Israeli decision on Sunday to expand settlement building in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry reiterated the kingdom’s condemnation of Israel’s ongoing actions “to sabotage Syria's opportunities for security and stability."

It called on the international community to condemn the Israeli violations and emphasized the necessity “of respecting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“The Golan is an occupied Arab Syrian land," the ministry stressed.

Early Sunday, the Israeli government unanimously approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enhance Israeli settlement building in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, with a budget exceeding 40 million shekels ($11.13 million).

The Golan Heights is Syrian territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.

Currently, approximately 50,000 people live in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, half of whom are Israeli settlers, while the other half consists of Druze, Alawites, and others, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.

There are 33 Jewish settlements in the occupied Golan, incorporated into what is called the Golan Regional Council.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8 after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus. The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities across the country in a swift offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

Taking advantage of Assad’s fall, Israel has intensified its airstrikes against military sites across Syria, in blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty.

Israel also declared the collapse of a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria and deployed its forces within the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights, in a move widely condemned by the United Nations and several Arab nations.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala