'Israel' fears escalation in Golan over turbines construction: Media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
27 Aug 2023 12:49

Israeli media agencies say talks to calm down the opposition to the Israeli project yielded no results.

Israeli occupation forces fire tear gas at the people of the Occupied Syrian Golan protesting against the Israeli wind turbine project near the village of Majdal Shams, on June 21, 2023 (AFP)

Israeli media reported that the Israeli security establishment fears an escalation in the villages of the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights against the backdrop of the Israeli occupation's expected resumption of work on building wind turbines near the village of Masada under the pretext of producing electricity.

In June, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a temporary freeze of the work after violent confrontations between occupation forces and the people of the Occupied Syrian Golan protesting against the project and the occupation of their lands.

June's protests saw occupation forces bring in large reinforcements, close all roads leading to the Hafayer area, where the wind turbines are to be built, and attack the demonstrators with gas bombs, which resulted in several injuries.

The Israeli Channel 13 correspondent said Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar held a telephone conversation with the spiritual leader of the Druze community, Sheikh Muafak Tarif, and asked him to calm down the opposition against the Israeli project, but it seems that things are not yet under control.

A couple of days ago, Netanyahu's office indicated that "there is still an attempt to reach an agreement… the efforts are ongoing." However, it pointed out that "as a first step, there has been a decision to renew some of the turbine work."

But Israeli media reported that the people of Golan are threatening to renew protests if the construction work resumes.

"We are prepared for a struggle and if we need to, we will make sacrifices," Israeli media quoted a protest leader as saying.

"The freeze of the wind turbine construction in the Golan Heights must continue," Tarif was quoted as saying by the Israeli Ynet news website.

It is noteworthy that "Israel" occupied the Syrian Golan in 1967 and refuses to recognize Syrian sovereignty over it, despite the United Nations' repeated assertion that it is Syrian territory.