Forgotten Territory: The Political, Economic & Social Impact of the Israeli Occupation on the Golan Heights, Part 1: The Significance and History of the Golan

This six-part series looks into the past and present of the Syrian Golan Heights, which have been under Israeli military occupation since the 1967 war.

by Andrea Dillon

For over forty years, the Israeli and Syrian governments have clashed over the fate of the Golan Heights, a widely ignored dispute in contemporary debates on the Israeli-Arab conflict. Originally part of the Syrian state, the Golan has been under Israeli military occupation, since the 1967 Israeli-Arab war. With its rich natural resources, agriculturally friendly climate, and strategic location, the Golan is highly prized by both countries. The territory’s immense political, religious, and cultural value has only added to its attraction, further raising the stakes in this protracted political conflict.

This six-part look into the Golan’s past and present will shed light on this little understood chapter in contemporary Middle Eastern history. While past studies of the Golan have been limited in scope, this report will provide an in-depth analysis of the territory’s material, political, and military importance, as well as its significance to the Israeli government’s occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip (OPT). While the Golan’s history and dynamics are decidedly different from those of the Palestinian Territories, the region nonetheless offers a comparative study of Israeli political and military strategy towards occupied territories and is indispensable to a better understanding of the dynamics of Israeli occupation as a whole.