Middle East Politics

nobody could have seen this coming, absolutely out of the blue

The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to encourage demographic growth in the Golan Heights and Katzrin communities, totaling over 40 million NIS.Prime Minister Netanyahu:"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, make it flourish, and settle it."




the first three hebrew replies:
"why are you settling there and not resettling the lebanon settlements?"
"why only 40 million"
"only because of oct 7 you finally are focusing on us and not your family"


As if we were even debating whether Israel is an expansionist country the other day. Oh look, real-time expansion.
 
As if we were even debating whether Israel is an expansionist country the other day. Oh look, real-time expansion.
And it has literally been a continuing process in Palestine for at least the last 60 years.

They are nothing like the Russians though, those are bad bad and no one can be mentioned as being bad as them.
 
The documents reveal a deep reliance on Russian oversight, with Moscow playing an active role in moderating tensions between the two sides. Israel avoided targeting key Syrian military sites as long as Damascus adhered to the rules of the game. In return, Russia maintained its leverage over both parties, ensuring Assad’s regime survived.
The mechanism’s primary aim was ostensibly to limit Iran and Hezbollah’s operations, especially the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon. For example, a message from June 8, 2023, details Israeli intelligence tracking Iranian shipments: “Over the last two weeks, we observed the landing of eight planes in Hmeimim air base arriving from Iran. … Weapons were transferred on these planes. … If you continue to allow the transfer of weapons for Hezbollah and Iran, we will not stand idly by.”

 
nobody could have seen this coming, absolutely out of the blue

The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to encourage demographic growth in the Golan Heights and Katzrin communities, totaling over 40 million NIS.Prime Minister Netanyahu:"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, make it flourish, and settle it."




the first three hebrew replies:
"why are you settling there and not resettling the lebanon settlements?"
"why only 40 million"
"only because of oct 7 you finally are focusing on us and not your family"


The reality of the matter is that it's just reaffirming a plan that already approved by a previous government.

As for hebrew replies, maybe it's the algorithm, but I got loads of very different comments like people accusing the government on corruption and wondering why they aren't spending this money on the northern cities which suffered damage from the Hezbollah attacks.
 
As if we were even debating whether Israel is an expansionist country the other day. Oh look, real-time expansion.

Israel has held the Golan Heights for decades and is never going to return it. That's clear. I'm not sure populating it more would be considered 'an expansion'.
 
Israel has held the Golan Heights for decades and is never going to return it. That's clear. I'm not sure populating it more would be considered 'an expansion'.

So securing an expansion to be certain that they have as many excuses to never return it is not expansionist. in 30 years, the territory that now you stole (you as part of your country) to syiria will not be expansionism if it is being settled because is clear that is never going to return. And chunk by chunk, bit by bit is never expansionism, like settlements in WB and keep going never stopping. Not expansion because I guess it was always Israel to begin with
 
Israel has held the Golan Heights for decades and is never going to return it. That's clear. I'm not sure populating it more would be considered 'an expansion'.
Obviously Israel will try to secure the entire Mount Hermon also, like a vulture in the aftermath of a skirmish.
 
So securing an expansion to be certain that they have as many excuses to never return it is not expansionist. in 30 years, the territory that now you stole (you as part of your country) to syiria will not be expansionism if it is being settled because is clear that is never going to return. And chunk by chunk, bit by bit is never expansionism, like settlements in WB and keep going never stopping. Not expansion because I guess it was always Israel to begin with

Populating is clearly an excuse in the WB.

I doubt Israel needs it nearly as much with the parts of the Golan Heights it has already controlled for decades as it's far less talked about internationally regarding territories that Israel may and should be returned.

As for the future, who knows. I doubt the government has any idea what will happen with the territories it has taken over in the last few days.
 
Israel has held the Golan Heights for decades and is never going to return it. That's clear. I'm not sure populating it more would be considered 'an expansion'.

Well they have been a good buffer from the "actual borders" of Israel, but now it seems that they need a buffer too. I guess the fear, backed by the fact that the IDF is clearing out villages in the conquered area, is that this new buffer will be settled, like the previous one, and will at some point maybe need a newer buffer, etc.
 
Populating is clearly an excuse in the WB.

I doubt Israel needs it nearly as much with the parts of the Golan Heights it has already controlled for decades as it's far less talked about internationally regarding territories that Israel may and should be returned.

As for the future, who knows. I doubt the government has any idea what will happen with the territories it has taken over in the last few days.

Is already controlled, but the more people the more excuses that it remains israel because israel people lives there and also the more you need to protect them the more excuse for a buffer as Israel has the right to defend themselves. Even if the territory is ocuppied
 
Well they have been a good buffer from the "actual borders" of Israel, but now it seems that they need a buffer too. I guess the fear, backed by the fact that the IDF is clearing out villages in the conquered area, is that this new buffer will be settled, like the previous one, and will at some point maybe need a newer buffer, etc.

Obviously, Israel hasn't been treating the Golan Heights as 'buffer'. It's simply a part of Israel as far as it's concerned.

While I don't know the future of the 'new buffer', I don't see Israel settling it at all. We've got enough trouble in the territories we already have.
 
Is already controlled, but the more people the more excuses that it remains israel because israel people lives there and also the more you need to protect them the more excuse for a buffer as Israel has the right to defend themselves. Even if the territory is ocuppied

Israel doesn't feel like it needs to excuse remaining in the Golan Heights. And plans to populate it better have been around for years - this plan isn't actually new at all.

This really isn't about what Israel's been doing in Syria in the last few days. It's just politics.
 
Looks like Al-Sharaa is going mainstream. Suspect he will be removed from the terrorism list once these guys report back to Starmer, with the US following soon after once Sharaa compliments Trump’s inauguration crowd size.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7qenxy8r2o.amp



If this a real shift in his politics. I genuinely worry someone will assassinate him. There are so many radical/fanatics with these factions that watching the "normalisation" of syrian politics just feels too good to be true.
 
I hope remember that, while Assad was a maniac tyrant, Syria was a very liberal country during his reign. It's almost as if people have forgotten that and, due to rise of ISIS in that region, thought it was an Islamic extremist region. It is annoying that part of the media coverage is around how the new leader will make Syria 'liberal' without acknowledging it already was before the civil war, makes it seem it was an extremist place before being liberated, which conveniently fits into the narrative they like to set for middle eastern countries.
 


-Armed groups will gradually dissolve themselves. Under no circumstances will we accept any group being armed, whether in areas under our control or in those controlled by the YPG/PKK. We aim to take full control of all weapons across the country.
 

IDF says it opened fire on Syria protest after identifying ‘threat’​


The IDF confirms opening fire toward “a threat” during a protest by Syrians against the military’s presence in southern Syria earlier today. According to the IDF, during the protest in the village of Ma’ariya, soldiers who were calling on suspects to move back “identified a threat that required action to remove.” The military says the soldiers acted according to the open-fire procedures, and shot one of the protesters in the leg.


https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveb...re-on-syria-protest-after-identifying-threat/
 
The situation in the northeast is an absolute mess. Turkish and American proxies facing off, the SNA allegedly running amok in Manbij and the SDF increasingly desperate to come to an arrangement with Damascus. Hard to see how anything resembling Kurdish autonomy emerges from this once Erdoğa gets his free hand to act in January (assuming he does).
 
I hope remember that, while Assad was a maniac tyrant, Syria was a very liberal country during his reign. It's almost as if people have forgotten that and, due to rise of ISIS in that region, thought it was an Islamic extremist region. It is annoying that part of the media coverage is around how the new leader will make Syria 'liberal' without acknowledging it already was before the civil war, makes it seem it was an extremist place before being liberated, which conveniently fits into the narrative they like to set for middle eastern countries.
And no one talking how all ISIS terrorists have also been freed from Syrian prisons. Suddenly all prisoners freed were innocent people.