Golan residents say they refuse bloodshed under guise of revenge
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The Golan residents emphasize that any statements deviating from the region's consensus, whether from inside or outside the Golan, only represent their source.
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Members of the Druze community protest a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the site where 12 children and teens were killed in a rocket strike on a soccer field, in the village of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP)
The residents of the occupied Syrian Golan have confirmed their rejection of any official incitement and the attempt to exploit the name of the town of Majdal Shams as a political platform at the expense of their children's blood.
In a statement issued Monday, the residents of the Golan alerted the world that "all so-called human rights systems collapsed when the children's limbs were scattered in Majdal Shams," reaffirming their refusal to shed any drop of blood under the guise of revenge for the incident.
The Golan residents emphasized that any statements deviating from the region's consensus, whether from inside or outside the Golan, only represent their source.
On Saturday, an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile landed on a football field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.
"Israel" was quick to pin the blame on Hezbollah and claimed that the Lebanese group targeted the town with an "Iranian rocket".
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed that "Israel will not let this murderous attack go unanswered and Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for it, a price it has not paid before," according to a statement from his office.
Hezbollah denied that it targeted Majdal Shams, a town where many residents have rejected Israeli nationality since the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights in 1967.
In a statement, the Lebanese Resistance group said it "categorically denies the allegations reported by certain enemy media and various media platforms concerning the targeting of Majdal Shams."
"The Islamic Resistance has no connection to this incident," it affirmed.
Monday's statement comes shortly after the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the residents of Majdal Shams attempted to kick out Netanyahu from Majdal Shams, calling him a "fascist" and a "criminal".
Netanyahu had arrived in the town alongside a convoy of high-ranking security officials.
People in the occupied Syrian #Golan prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering Majdal Shams, calling him a fascist and criminal.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 29, 2024
In a similar incident, the residents kicked out Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Economy Nir Barakat,… pic.twitter.com/V5gslxYhly
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the occupied territories reported that Netanyahu arrived in Majdal Shams at around 2:00 pm (local time) and was received by the town's Israeli-appointed council chief in an administrative building. Netanyahu entered through the back door of the building to avoid being seen.
After the news had gotten around to the town's residents, hundreds gathered outside the said building, protesting Netanyahu's visit to the occupied Syrian town.
The demonstrators berated the Israeli prime minister, denouncing him as a "child killer" and a "criminal".
Netanyuahu's visit to the town did not last for more than 15 minutes, locals told Al Mayadeen, after the incident had enraged residents who refused to receive the Israeli prime minister.
Al Mayadeen also found that several locals refused to allow Israeli occupation forces to use their homes and rooftops as guarding points ahead of Netanyahu's arrival.
Israeli media also reported on Saturday that the residents of Majdal Shams attacked members of Netanyahu's Likud party who showed up for the funeral ceremony of the victims of the attack.
A circulated video on social media shows residents of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian #Golan expelling Bezalel Smotrich, the Minister of Finance in the Israeli government, from a funeral held by the village's residents for the victims.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 28, 2024
Residents of #MajdalShams in the… pic.twitter.com/EPs5zynB0y
Damascus hails 'heroic stance of Syrian citizens' in occupied Golan
In a related context, Damascus commended the "heroic stance of Syrian citizens" in the occupied Golan Heights, who rejected the visits of Israeli "war criminals", the latest of whom was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who arrived in the town of Majdal Shams to exploit the tragedy of Syrian bloodshed caused by his forces' missile attack on Saturday.
Syria "affirms that the honorable stance of occupied Syrian Golan citizens today that confronts the Israeli war machine and rejects all attempts to erase the Syrian identity decisively proves that the Syrian Golan is an occupied Syrian land and will remain a dear and precious part [of land] for the Syrians,” Damascus' Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The ministry underlined that the citizens of the occupied Syrian Golan will continue to hold fast to their land and identity, taking pride in their affiliation with the homeland.
Read more: Syria condemns Israeli aggression on Majdal Shams
