Israel to double Golan population, Syria's de facto leader says country 'war-weary'

Israel has pledged to double its population on the occupied Golan Heights while saying threats from Syria remained – despite the de facto leader in Damascus saying the country's "war-weary" condition "does not allow for new confrontations."

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it." 

Syria's de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa – also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani – said that Israel was using false pretexts to justify its attacks on Syria, but he was not interested in engaging in new conflicts as his country focuses on rebuilding.

Israel captured most of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, annexing it in 1981. In 2019 then-President Donald Trump declared U.S. support for Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, but the annexation has not been recognized by most countries. Syria has demanded Israel withdraw but Israel has refused, citing security concerns. Various peace efforts have failed.

Netanyahu, who spoke with Trump on Saturday about Syria, said "We have no interest in a conflict with Syria," adding that Israeli actions in Syria were intended to "thwart the potential threats from Syria and to prevent the takeover of terrorist elements near our border."

Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the latest developments in Syria increased the threat to Israel, "despite the moderate image that the rebel leaders claim to present."

Netanyahu's office said the government unanimously approved an $11 million plan to encourage demographic growth in the Golan. It said Netanyahu submitted the plan to the government "in light of the war and the new front facing Syria, and out of a desire to double the population of the Golan."

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates condemned Israel's decision, with the UAE - which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 - describing it as a "deliberate effort to expand the occupation."

Some 31,000 Israelis have settled there, said analyst Avraham Levine of the Alma Research and Education Center specializing in Israel's security challenges on its northern border. Many work in farming, including vineyards, and tourism. The Golan is home to 24,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam, Levine said. Most identify as Syrian.

Avoiding 'new confrontations'

Sharaa leads the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that gained control in Damascus a week ago. Since then Israel has moved into a demilitarized zone inside Syria that was created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, including the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon that overlooks Damascus, where its forces took over an abandoned Syrian military post.

Israel, which has said that it does not intend to stay there and calls the incursion into Syrian territory a limited and temporary measure to ensure border security, has also carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria's strategic weapons stockpiles.

It has said it is destroying weapons and military infrastructure to prevent them from being used by rebel groups, some of which grew from movements linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

In an interview with Syria TV, Sharaa said the focus was on construction rather than confrontation. 

"Syria's war-weary condition, after years of conflict and war, does not allow for new confrontations," he said. "The priority at this stage is reconstruction and stability, not being drawn into disputes that could lead to further destruction." 

Sharaa also said diplomatic solutions were the only way to ensure security and stability and that "uncalculated military adventures" were not wanted.