Human Rights: Israel Funds War Crimes in the Golan

SadaNews - The international organization "Human Rights Watch" confirmed that the decision taken by the Israeli cabinet regarding the transfer of thousands of Israeli civilians to the occupied Syrian Golan constitutes a clear announcement of the intention to commit war crimes, noting that the occupying government approved the plan worth 334 million US dollars on April 17.

The organization's senior Syria researcher, Heba Ziyadin, stated that the Israeli cabinet allocated public funds for committing war crimes in Syria, while also accelerating settlement expansion in the West Bank, alongside the continued impunity regarding violence against Palestinians there.

Ziyadin added that the permanent transfer of populations to Syrian territories violates international standards and has serious repercussions for long-displaced Syrians.

The organization called on the European Union and its member states, the United Kingdom, and other countries to suspend their trade agreements with Israel and impose a ban on trade and business with illegal Israeli settlements, which should apply to the Golan as well as the West Bank, in addition to suspending arms transfers to Israel.

It also confirmed that prosecutors in third countries should open criminal investigations under the principle of universal jurisdiction against Israeli officials and others found to be involved in transferring civilians to occupied territories.

Details of the Plan

According to the organization, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to develop the settlement of Katzrin, established in 1977, to become what officials described as the "first city" in the Golan, with the stated goal of bringing 3,000 new settler families to the occupied territories by 2030.

The Israeli plan funds infrastructure, housing, public services, and academic facilities in the settlement, including a new university branch and specialized medical facilities. According to the organization, the "Northern Tenuva Directorate" will oversee coordinating the project with local authorities.

Human Rights Watch adds that, as previously documented in the context of settlements in the West Bank, companies that contribute to the transfer of civilians to occupied territories risk complicity in violations of international humanitarian law and associated war crimes, noting that companies conducting business with entities in the occupied Golan or operating there face the same risks.

Serious Violations

Israel occupied the Golan Heights in 1967 and imposed Israeli law on it in 1981 in a de facto annexation, however, the United States is the only country in the world that recognizes Israel's alleged annexation of the territory, according to the organization, which said the Golan remains occupied land under international law.

The organization added that since 1967, Israeli authorities have prevented displaced Syrians, who retain the right of return, from returning to their homes in the occupied Golan Heights, and destroyed hundreds of Syrian villages and farms in the region. According to the Syrian government, the number of displaced persons, including their descendants, is now in the hundreds of thousands.

The organization said that the Israeli plan comes at a time when the occupation army is further expanding in southern Syria, adding that since the fall of the Assad government, Israeli forces have occupied Syrian territories outside of the "1974 disengagement line" and established several military sites within it, while carrying out repeated ground attacks, air raids, and other operations in the Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida governorates.

The organization has documented serious violations committed by the Israeli occupation army during these operations, including the forced displacement of Syrian residents from villages in the recently occupied area, which constitutes a war crime.

The organization confirmed that to address serious international crimes committed in Syria, the Syrian government should build on initial steps, including the establishment of a national transitional justice body, to create legal frameworks for local investigations and prosecutions.