by Andrea Dillon
This article marks the sixth and final part in this on-going look at the Golan Heights. Throughout this series, various elements and effects of the Israeli government’s occupation of the Golan have been examined. Part 1 provided a brief history of the territory, with a particular focus on the northern Druze village of Majdal Shams where much of the research for this series was conducted. Parts 2-3 discussed the parallels between Israel’s occupations of the Golan Heights and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), shedding light on Israeli strategies toward occupied territories in general. Part 4 examined the unique aspects of Golanese life, taking a particular look at its relative political and material advantages as compared to life in the OPT. Part 5 discussed how the various aspects of the occupation have affected collective and individual identity within Golanese society.
Part 6 concludes this series by examining how the Golan’s unique history and contemporary dynamics have shaped Golanese attitudes towards Israel. From anger to thoughtful criticism to simple complacency, the Golanese exhibit a particularly wide range of perspectives, demonstrating that individual reactions to occupation may be far from uniform.
