Israel approves 5-year plan to develop illegal settlements in occupied Syrian Golan Heights

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel has approved a five-year plan worth about $334 million to develop illegal settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

The plan, covering the years 2026 to 2030, allocates approximately 1 billion shekels ($334 million) to strengthen infrastructure and promote Israeli population growth in the occupied territory, The Times of Israel news portal said.

Israeli officials said the initiative aims to transform the settlement of Katzrin into “Golan’s first city,” according to cabinet minister Ze’ev Elkin.

The move followed a meeting earlier this week between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and local officials, including Katzrin Local Council head Yehuda Dua and Golan Regional Council head Uri Kellner.

According to the report, the Directorate of Tnufa for the North, in coordination with local authorities, will oversee implementation of the plan.

“We will strengthen academia, research, and the University of Kiryat Shmona with a branch in Katzrin, a faculty, and a veterinary hospital,” Dua said.

The directorate plans to bring 3,000 new Israeli families to Katzrin and the Golan Heights by the end of the decade, the report added.

Under international law, the Golan Heights are recognized as Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, and settlement expansion there is considered illegal.