Golan Heights

• 21 Dec 2024

Source: DD 

Why in News?

The Golan Heights has become a focal point of international attention as Israel announces plans to double its population in the strategically important region.  

What are Key Facts About Golan Heights? 

• Geography: The Golan Heights is a 1,200-square-kilometre rocky plateau in southwestern Syria,  overlooking the Jordan River Valley. 
  • The name "Golan" is derived from the biblical city of refuge, Golan in Bashan, which is mentioned in the Bible. 
  • The Golan is bounded by Mount Hermon (north), the Yarmūk River(south), the Jordan River and Sea of Galilee (west), and the seasonal Wadi Al-Ruqqād (east). 
  • The area is a key source of water for an arid region. Rainwater from the Golan's catchment feeds into the Jordan River. 
• Historical Context: Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. Syria's attempt to retake it during the 1973 war failed.  
  • In 1974, Israel and Syria signed the Agreement on Disengagement, which established a ceasefire following the Yom Kippur War. 
    • This agreement led to the creation of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to monitor the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights.  
  • Israel annexed the region in 1981, a move not recognized internationally, though the US acknowledged Israeli sovereignty in 2019. Syria still demands its return. 
• Military Presence: The area remains divided by a United Nations-monitored demilitarized zone (DMZ), with Israeli and Syrian forces separated by the "Area of Separation," a buffer zone created under the 1974 Agreement. 
• Military Significance: The Golan Heights is considered a vital security buffer zone. Israel’s military presence in the area serves as a deterrent against potential threats from Syria and other regional actors.  
  • The plateau’s elevated position allows Israel to monitor movements in both Syria and Lebanon. 

Note: In December 2024, India voted in favor of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution demanding Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.  

• The resolution stressed the illegality of Israeli settlement construction and other activities in the occupied Syrian Golan since 1967. 

Read more: Conflict between Israel and Syria 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ) 

Prelims

Q1. Consider the following pairs: (2018)

	Towns sometimes mentioned in news	Country
1.	Aleppo	Syria
2.	Kirkuk	Yemen
3.	Mosul	Palestine
4.	Mazar-i-sharif	Afghanistan

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched? 

(a) 1 and 2  
(b) 1 and 4 
(c) 2 and 3 
(d) 3 and 4 

Ans: (b) 

Q2. Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea? (2015) 

(a) Syria 
(b) Jordan 
(c) Lebanon 
(d) Israel 

Ans: (b) 

Q3. The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to (2015) 

(a) Central Asia 
(b) Middle East 
(c) South-East Asia  
(d) Central Africa 

Ans: (b) 

Q4. Yom Kippur War was fought between which sides/ countries? (2008) 

(a) Turkey and Greece 
(b) Serbs and Croats   
(c) Israel, and Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria 
(d) Iran and Iraq 

Ans: (c)