Nathan Shachar: Trump's gift can determine the choice in Israel

for everyday use called the ”Golan” or ”the Golan heights” - Jawlan in Arabic - is the western part of the area Israel captured from Syria in 1967. Seven years later, after the mediation of the united states, pulled Israel back from the area's eastern parts, including the main town of Kuneitra. In 1967, escaped the greater part of the Golans civilians, around a hundred thousand christians, alawiter and muslims. The only group who stayed were the druze, who today is 22,000 and living in four villages of Majd al-Shams as the capital. The part of the Golan that Israel controls today is about as big as the island of Öland. Israel is also the alawite village of Ghajar, which both Syria and Lebanon claim. 1981 annexed to Israel, Golan, but no major countries recognize Israel's right to the area.

The fifteen thousand israeli settlers, who are divided into about thirty communities, welcome your bid, however, is hardly going to change their lives. Drusernas reaction is more difficult to interpret. Their spokesmen have in 52 years declared themselves loyal with the syrian regime and the majority of druze refusing to carry israeli identification documents. For some druze is this loyalty is genuine; for others it is a life insurance policy on Israel and Syria would make peace and the area return to Syria. If it were to happen would the druze who have accepted Israel's government to be punished by the Assad regime. Several times, by the year 2.000, to have Israel and Syria negotiated a complete withdrawal from the Golan in exchange for peace. Many of the druze draws probably a sigh of relief over this possibility now been cleared away: they live well on fruit exports and tourism and want to in the soul and heart not the back to the Syrian war and chaos.

In a dramatic way. The USA's recognition is formidable campaign-fuel for Netanyahu. The occupation of the west bank and the colonization of palestinian areas, which is a controversial topic in Israel. But among jewish israelis there is hardly any disagreement on the Golan. The few who advocated a retreat has changed its opinion during the syrian civil war. That Netanyahu can now say ”I arranged the Golan for us,” strengthens his position in many circles, where it already keeps him on behalf of Donald Trumps the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the last year.

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