Israel cuts red tape to expand construction in Golan Heights
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked signed a legal framework to speed development of new villages in the Golan Heights, with a goal of doubling the area's population.
The government of Israel continues bolstering its settlements in the Golan Heights as part of a December 2021 plan to double the region’s population to 100,000 residents by 2025.
The plan charged Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked with establishing a special committee for planning and construction, in order to create new residential neighborhoods at existing communities and plan new villages.
Last week, Shaked took another step in that direction, announcing the creation of a special planning space only for the Golan Heights. Marking 55 years since the conquest of the Golan Heights, on June 2 Shaked signed a decree authorizing a shortened processes for building and expanding settlements in the Golan Heights.
The main goal of the government is clearly diplomatic, to strengthen Israeli presence in a disputed territory. Israel conquered the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six-Day War, after Syrian cannons bombarded Israeli towns, and the territory was formally annexed by a government decision in 1981. Since then, 33 villages have been built there, and one city, Katzrin.
