- Title: Druze on Golan Heights reject Trump's backing for Israeli sovereignty
- Date: 22nd March 2019
- Summary: MAJDAL SHAMS, GOLAN HEIGHTS (MARCH 22, 2019) (REUTERS) DRUZE MEN TALKING DURING GATHERING IN THE CENTRE OF MAJDAL SHAMS RELIGIOUS MEN SHAKING HANDS VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS OF MAJDAL SHAMS GATHERING IN THE CENTRE OF MAJDAL SHAMS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) 66-YEAR-OLD SHEIKH NOURALDIN ABU SHAHEEN, SAYING: "I can't understand this Trump, that he considers himself a president. Whatever Netanyahu says, he does. I can't understand this. Trump is ignoring United Nations resolution 497, which consider the annexation of Golan is void and null. And this gathering today ensures the resistance of the Golan people against these occupiers." VARIOUS OF STATUE OF SULTAN PASHA AL-ATRASH, A DRUZE NOBLEMAN, IN THE CENTRE OF MAJDAL SHAMS VARIOUS OF WOMEN IN THE STREETS OF MAJDAL SHAMS (SOUNDBITE) (ARABIC) 55-YEAR-OLD FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF AL-MARSAD, THE ARAB HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE IN GOLAN HEIGHTS, NIZAR AYOUB, SAYING: "Israel claims the Golan has strategic value. But the Golan will stay occupied. Of course, this will help Israel, in controlling the water and circumventing international law, which prevents such actions." EMBLEM OF THE REPUBLIC OF SYRIA VARIOUS OF VIEWS OF MAJDAL SHAMS FENCE BETWEEN ISRAELI OCCUPIED SIDE OF GOLAN HEIGHTS AND THE SYRIAN SIDE BUILDING INSIDE SYRIAN SIDE OF GOLAN HEIGHTS AS SEEN FROM THE OCCUPIED SIDE SYRIAN MILITARY BASE SNOW ON TOP OF GOLAN MOUNTAIN ON THE SYRIAN SIDE, AS SEEN FROM MAJDAL SHAMS VARIOUS OF FENCE BETWEEN BOTH SIDES OF GOLAN HEIGHTS KATZRIN, GOLAN HEIGHTS (MARCH 22, 2019) (REUTERS) SIGN READING (Hebrew): 'KATZIN' STREET VIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) RESIDENT OF KATZIN IN GOLAN HEIGHTS, UZAN ASHER, SAYING: "Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as an inseparable part of the State of Israel was inevitable. It's a great, amazing combination between Netanyahu and Trump that brought, in my opinion, the best thing to the State of Israel, the Israeli people, and for the residents of Israel, not to mention the Golan Heights (residents)." MOSHAV NOV, GOLAN HEIGHTS (MARCH 22, 2019) (REUTERS) HEAD OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS LOCAL COUNCIL, HAIM ROKAH, WALKING OUTSIDE HOUSE ROKAH ENTERING ROOM CLOSE OF ROKAH'S HANDS WHILE USING THE MOBILE (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) HEAD OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS LOCAL COUNCIL, HAIM ROKAH, SAYING: "The U.S. recognition of an Israeli sovereignty in the Golan… that declaration makes us happy, however our daily routine does not involve dealing with whether an Israeli sovereignty is being recognised or not. In our routine we work to develop the Golan and there is no doubt that we succeed. In the past 10 years many families were absorbed in the Golan, there is good living. We need to develop infrastructures, we need to develop the education system etc., but all in all the Golan is developing and our job now it to develop it a little bit faster." COWS IN THE FIELD NEIGHBOURHOOD BEHIND FIELD WATER FLOWING
- Embargoed: 5th April 2019 13:54
- Keywords: Golan Heights Druze Arabs Trump Netanyahu Israel Syria
- Location: MAJDAL SHAMS / KATZRIN / MOSHAV NOV, GOLAN HEIGHTS
- City: MAJDAL SHAMS / KATZRIN / MOSHAV NOV, GOLAN HEIGHTS
- Country: Golan Heights
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001A73RY2V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Druze Arabs living on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights reacted with dismay on Friday (March 22) to U.S. President Donald Trump's support for Israeli sovereignty over the mountainous plateau.
The fertile hillsides of the Golan are scattered with villages inhabited by 22,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam. Many still have relatives on the Syrian side of the fortified frontier.
Majdal Shams overlooks the divide between Israeli-occupied Golan and that part of the plateau controlled by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Here, older residents remember being part of Syria until 1967, when Israel captured most of the area in the Six Day War, occupying and later annexing it, in 1981. That annexation was not recognized internationally, and although they have lived under Israeli rule for more than half a century and shop fronts bear signs in Arabic and Hebrew, many still regard themselves as Syrian.
Israel has given Druze residents the option of citizenship, but most rejected it.
In October last year hundreds demonstrated against the holding of Israeli municipal elections on the Golan, blockading the polling station in Majdal Shams and waving Syrian and Druze flags.
The two armies are divided by an "Area of Separation" - often called a demilitarized zone - into which their military forces are not permitted under a 1974 ceasefire arrangement.
Trump's announcement on Thursday (March 21) came as many Israelis were in festive costumes celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim, which by tradition commemorates the survival of Jews who had been marked for death while living under Persian rule in antiquity.
Israel regards the Golan as a strategic asset, because its hills overlook towns in northern Israel. Around 20,000 Jewish settlers live in the Golan itself, many working in farming, leisure and tourism.
Many Israeli commentators saw Trump's declaration as a timely boost for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections scheduled for April 9, in which he has been dogged by corruption allegations.
But some Israelis living in and around the Golan said it would change little on the ground.
(Production: Avi Ohayon, Ismail Khadder, Roleen Tafakji) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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