The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved a plan presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a NIS 40 billion investment project aimed at doubling the population of the Golan Heights.
Netanyahu said he believes that “strengthening the Golan Heights is strengthening the State of Israel. We will continue to maintain it, develop it and establish it.”
The project includes investments in education, renewable energy, as well as the creation of a student village and a program to welcome new residents to this strategic region in northern Israel, where some 50,000 people currently live, evenly divided between Jewish and Druze communities.
While Israel argues that the move is essential to ensuring the security of its borders, Saudi Arabia called the plan an act of sabotage against Syria following the announcement, and the United Arab Emirates said the move could “cause further escalation of tensions in the region.”