Druze residents from the Golan to the government: "Establish a new settlement for our young people as well"
The government's plan to double the population in the Golan Heights deals only with the Jewish population, even though the Druze make up half of the area's population.
"It will be difficult to ignore our needs and rights. It is time we get equal rights."
Eli Ashkenazi
07/01/2022
Friday, 07 January 2022, 12:00
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In the video: Meeting of the Cabinet meeting in the Golan Heights (Photo: Eli Ashkenazi)
"The government came to the Golan Heights and decided on a grandiose settlement plan, but we, the Druze residents, forgot about us," he told Walla! Today (Friday), lawyer Fahd Safdi, who, together with other Druze residents from the Golan Heights, is requesting that as part of the settlement settlement plan, the Israeli government announce the establishment of a new settlement for young Druze families.
Safdi explained that today, young couples seeking to establish a home in one of the four Druze settlements in the Golan (restaurant, Majdal Shams, Buqata and Ein Kinia), have no land on which to build their homes. "The only lands on which it is possible to build are private lands with an agricultural purpose. The price of a dunam reaches $ 200,000 and in addition, in many cases it is forbidden to build on these lands and therefore it is also not possible to get a mortgage."
The Golan Heights currently has about 50,000 residents, half of them Druze, but the government's plan to double the population in the Golan is actually only dealing with the Jewish population.
The plan decided on by the government includes an additional 6,000 homes to be built in the Golan Heights, half of which will be built in two new settlements and half of which will be built in existing settlements that will be expanded.
More on Walla!
The government gathered in the Golan Heights, farmers and environmental activists protested outside the compound
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Adv. Fahad Safdi (Photo: courtesy of the photographers)
According to Safdi, the establishment of a new Druze settlement is necessary for a number of reasons. A child born to a Druze family is eligible to grow up in a neighborhood with infrastructure, tidy streets and playgrounds. A settlement established with the support of the government will move away from the anti-Israel atmosphere prevailing in these communities and also the Druze education system will be neutralized by various political pressures. "Such a settlement will be an example of the common life that can exist in the Golan and in my opinion the settlement should belong to the Golan Regional Council, which currently has only Jewish settlements. Many beautiful things can grow from such an initiative, for example - it is possible to establish a bilingual school," he said.
A public committee is currently being organized to promote the initiative, and Safdi hopes that it will be welcomed by the Israeli establishment.
"If our appeal is rejected, we will have to appeal to the High Court.
It will be difficult to ignore our needs and rights.
It's time we got equal rights, "Safdi said. He also added:" The state needs to start thinking differently.
It is time for us to find a solution and the young families will get a sense of partnership in the Israeli experience. "
According to him, among the Druze population in the Golan there are many young people with academic education, including doctors, engineers, pharmacists and more."
Safdi noted that at least two hundred families will want to live in such a settlement and over the years more young couples will want to join. "Building a house in such a settlement is a dream of every young couple, including a couple. A young Druze. "
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