'}}

Oil and natural gas in the Occupied Syrian Golan, illegal exploitation by Israel as occupying power

December 9, 2013

9 December 2013

During the Israeli-Arab war of 1967, Israel captured 70% of the Syrian Golan and 130.000 of the native inhabitants were forcibly transferred. In 1981 Israel illegally annexed the occupied Golan and since that moment Israel has considered itself as "sovereign" over that territory, although the International Community considered this annexation void and null and has never accepted it.

Nowadays there are five villages inhabited by native Syrian people, all of them are in the north and the number of indigenous Syrian people remaining in the Golan stands at 20000. On the other hand, there are more than 20000 Jewish settlers in the Occupied Syrian Golan, and in order to accommodate those 33 illegal settlements have been built within the region. The Israeli settlements are mainly in the south and the most important and biggest one is Qatzrin.

Approximately only 6% of the occupied territory remains under the indigenous Syrian population control, the rest has been expropriated for military use or for settlements.

According to the Law of Occupation, Israel being the occupying country, has the legal obligation to act as just administrator of public property and natural resources. Nevertheless, at the beginning of 2013 Israel's Energy and Water Resources Ministry granted Genie Energy, an American-Israeli company, an exclusive licence to explore for oil and gas in a 153-square miles radius in the southern part of the Golan. This action violates international law and therefore it is illegal.

 

Read the full document:  Position Paper - Oil and natural gas in the occupied Syrian Golan

Releated Posts

'}}
More Shadows than Lights – Local Elections in the Occupied Syrian Golan
Al-Marsad has published a new report on Israel’s recent attempt to hold municipal elections in the occupied Syrian Golan (“Golan”). On 30 October 2018, Israel held municipal elections in the occupied Syrian villages of Majdal Shams, Buqata, Masada and Ein Qynia for the first time since it invaded the Golan in 1967.
READ MORE
'}}
Letter from Al-Marsad to Frederica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy.
In April 2019, Al-Marsad wrote to Frederica Mogherini to ask the EU to stop applying a double standard to Israel’s illegal settlement expansion policies and to condemn them uniformly for what they are, egregious violations of international law.
READ MORE
'}}
“New Ways of Seeing” Field Visit to Haifa
"New Ways of Seeing" Field Visit to Haifa - Al-Marsad, in cooperation with the Fateh Moudarres Centre for Arts & Culture, recently hosted a new interactive youth workshop within its innovative cultural project, "New Ways of Seeing."
READ MORE
'}}
Al-Marsad Rejects New Illegal Settlement Plan for the Occupied Syrian Golan
Al-Marsad – Arab Human Rights Centre in Golan Heights (“Al-Marsad”) is extremely concerned by reports of a new Israeli government plan to transfer illegal settlers into the occupied Syrian Golan. This reported plan, which comes just one week after the United States (“U.S.”) acknowledged Israel’s claimed “sovereignty” over the occupied Golan, conflicts directly with international law.
READ MORE
'}}
Al-Marsad Denounces U.S. Recognition of the Occupied Syrian Golan as Israel
Al-Marsad – Arab Human Rights Centre in Golan Heights (“Al-Marsad”) denounces and condemns the United States of America’s (“U.S.”) recognition of the occupied Syrian Golan as part of Israel. The decision sets a dangerous standard that glorifies systematic human rights abuses, legitimizes illegal aggression and occupation, and endangers peace in the Middle East.
READ MORE