The area known as the Syrian Golan is a mountainous region and plateau in southwest Syria that borders Lebanon to the north, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the west. The overall landmass of the Syrian Golan is 1,860 square kilometres, which is approximately one percent of the total landmass of Syria. On the 5 June 1967, during the Arab-Israeli War, Israel seized, occupied and took control of 1,250 km2 of the Syrian Golan (roughly 70% of the total land mass of the Syrian Golan, containing 344 villages and farms). Successive Israeli governments adopted numerous policies to control and contain the Syrian population since Israel began its occupation of the ‘Occupied Syrian Golan’. They have destroyed numerous villages, driven thousands from their homes, expropriated private and public property, prevented the remaining Arab villages from expanding and actively stopped the free movement of people. In 1981, Israel enacted legislation that purported to annex the territory. This move was widely condemned by the international community and from the perspective of international law, the Occupied Syrian Golan remains an occupied territory to which the laws of occupation apply.
