The sudden fall of the Assad government to an Islamist-led coalition of rebels underscores that there is some serious unfinished business between Israel and Syria. The issue of control of the Golan Heights has been a point of contention between the two countries ever since Israel seized major parts of it from Syria it the bloodiest battle of the Six-Day War in 1967. It overlooks parts of Israel and Syrian tanks had poured into Israel.
Although since 1967 there has been a truce of sorts in place; there has been a buffer zone between the two countries for decades and, as well, a series of negotiations, there have been several flare ups centered on the Golan. And of course, the Golan came into play in the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Most analysts of Middle East geopolitics agree that Israel’s recent degrading of the military capacities of Iran and Hezbollah, the primary supporters of the Assad regime, convinced the rebels that there was an opportunity to topple it. Yet their background and current warnings to Israel suggest that they will not be an improvement over Assad.
So recent moves by Israel indicate that it also sees this as a time to seize the moment. Thus, as reported by Newsweek, the IDF has launched an invasion of southwestern Syria, seizing control of the buffer zone and launching a massive land, sea and air attack against Syrian military sites; including missile and drone sites, fighter jets, warships and chemical weapons stockpiles.
Although these actions are explained by Israel as part of an effort to contain an explosive and chaotic situation, we think there is more to it – Israel is intent on settling the Golan issue once and for all.
In addition to the military actions, just the other day, the Israeli Cabinet approved an economic plan to double the population of the Golan Height where 50,000 people reside – evenly split between Jews and Druze. Reportedly, the money will go toward education, renewable energy, the establishment of a student village and a plan for absorbing new residents.
This is all in the context of Israel’s having annexed the Golan in 1981. However, that action has never been recognized by most of the countries of the world. Yet there is reason to believe that things may be different this time around.
For one thing, Israel seems to be determined to change the facts on the ground. And then there is the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan which came in 2019 in the first Trump administration.
Thus, on March 25, 2019 President Trump made this proclamation:
The State of Israel took control of the Golan Heights in 1967 to safeguard its security from external threats. Today, aggressive acts by Iran and terror groups, including Hezbollah, in southern Syria continue to make the Golan Heights a potential launching grounds for attacks on Israel. Any possible future peace agreement in the region must account for Israel’s need to protect itself from Syria and other regional threats. Based on these unique circumstances, it is therefore appropriate to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
NOW THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, president of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim that the United States recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel.
To be sure, the Biden administration seemed to hedge on whether it goes along with the recognition, saying only that “as a practical matter, control of the Golan remains of real importance to Israel’s security.” But they never withdrew the proclamation and, thankfully Donald Trump will soon be president again.
A slew of Arab countries have quickly denounced the Israeli actions and warned of dire consequences. Thankfully, though, Israel still has a Prime Minister who has shown that he knows how to stand up to the doomsayers. He is someone who has demonstrated that all of those past predictions of escalations to World War III were just words and would be trumped by decisive action.
Israel’s need for the Golan Heights is manifest as former and future president Trump said it should be part of Israel.
