Thursday, July 24, 2008

The empty Golan

Realism must rule in engaging Syria - The Boston Globe

There is not much new here except the revelation that there is not "an occupied population" on the Golan Heights. The author served for six years as an IDF artillery officer and was involved as an advisor with Gov. Bill Richardson's campaign for president.

For the record, there are about 18,000 Druze living in four villages. Some of them, about ten percent, have accepted Israeli citizenship, while the remainder are Syrian citizens. There are also less than 1,000 non-Druze Muslims, mostly Arabs but also some "Gypsies" in Ghajjar.

Israeli colonists number less than 18,000 according to 2004 data, and they live in 32 settlements.

No comments: