The website of the Israeli magazine “972+” revealed that settler groups began considering expanding into the border areas with Syria and Lebanon immediately after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with the aim of to establish new colonies in light of political and military tensions. tensions reigning in the region.
Writer Eli Perry said in the report published by the site that Israeli forces began entering Syrian territory hours after the fall of the Damascus regime, where they occupied Mount Hermon and the buffer zone between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights, but that the Israeli army did not move alone, but was followed by a new settlement movement.
The author cited a member of the “Uri Tsafon” movement, founded this year to promote colonization in southern Lebanon, who said in a group including movement members on the WhatsApp app: “We must invade and destroy as much as possible, and as quickly as possible.”
Settlement plans
Another member said: “We should check the new laws in Syria to see if Israelis are allowed to invest in real estate and buy land there. » In another WhatsApp group, members posted maps of Syria and attempted to identify the best areas for settlement.
The author added that the “Nahala” movement, led by the godmother of the settlement movement, Daniela Weiss, who has led efforts to promote the establishment of settlements in the Gaza Strip in recent months, expressed an opinion similar in a Facebook post, stating that “Anyone who believes that we can leave our fate in the hands of a foreign party is… He is abandoning the security of Israel! Jewish settlement is the only solution that will allow ensure regional stability and security for the state of Israel.”
Nahala’s leaflet adds that the movement looks forward to establishing itself “in Gaza, Lebanon, the entire Golan Heights, including the Syrian side, and throughout Mount Hermon.” The tract was accompanied by a biblical map titled “The Boundaries of Abraham.” “, which shows Israel over the entire area of Lebanon and most of Syria and Iraq.
The author felt that these publications are not just statements and wishes, but rather these colonization groups are working hard to implement their goals.
Gaza and Lebanon too
The Nahala movement has identified sites to build new Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, confirming that more than 700 Jewish families have committed to moving when the opportunity arises.
Last week, the “Uri Tsavon” group attempted to seize some lands in southern Lebanon, where Israeli army forces are stationed after the ceasefire agreement.
The author said the movement’s founder, Amos Azaria, crossed the border into Lebanon on December 5 with six Jewish families in an attempt to establish a settlement outpost. They arrived in Maroun al-Ras and planted cedars in memory of an Israeli. soldier killed in Lebanon two months ago. After several hours, the army took them back to the Israeli border.
Last June – continues the writer – during the “First Conference for Lebanon” organized by the “Uri Tsafon” movement via the “Zoom” application, members spoke about colonization in Syria.
The regulation is a doctrine
Haggai Ben Artzi, son-in-law of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a member of the movement, said Israel’s borders should be those promised to the Jewish people in the Torah: “We do not want a single meter beyond the Euphrates. , but we must take what we have been promised.
The author explains that the settlers were eager to seize the opportunity after the fall of the Assad regime and the advance of Israeli forces into Syrian territory.
“We called on the government to seize as much Syrian territory as possible,” Amos Azaria told an Israeli magazine. “The rebels (in Syria) are no different from Hamas. They may be making reassuring statements now, but at the end of the day, they are Sunni. Muslims will unite against us as a common enemy, and we must do what we can now while it is possible. »
On December 11, a small group of settlers claimed to have entered an area inside Syrian territory currently under Israeli military control. The group filmed their arrival in the area, and the Israeli army rejected the request from the “+972” website. comment on this incident.
The writer emphasizes that before the founding of the “Uri Tsafon” movement, no one spoke of colonization in South Lebanon, but the discourse began to change, especially as the members of the movement are in contact with the members of the Knesset, and the issue is expected to be discussed, just as there is currently talk of colonization in the Gaza Strip.