Jordan condemns Israeli plan to expand illegal settlements in Syria’s occupied Golan Heights

Jordan condemned on Monday Israel's approval of a plan to expand illegal settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as a "blatant violation of international law."

The Israeli government on Sunday unanimously approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enhance Israeli settlement building in the Golan Heights with a budget exceeding 40 million shekels ($11.2 million).

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry called the Israeli move "an entrenchment of the occupation and a blatant violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions."
The ministry emphasized "the necessity of preserving Syria's unity and territorial integrity."

"The Golan Heights is occupied Syrian Arab land, and its occupation must come to an end," it stressed, calling for an international action to condemn the Israeli measures and obligate Israel, the occupying power, to adhere to international law.

The Israeli decision was condemned by several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Egypt.

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 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Golan, incorporated into what is called the Golan Regional Council.

Bashar 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 the capital, 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.