Golan’s Identity is Still Syrian After 31 Years of the Unjust Israeli Decision to Annex It

31 years have passed since the Israeli Knesset issued the so-called “Decision of Annexing Golan,” but the occupied Syrian Golan adhered to its Syrian identity thanks to the will of the Golan people.

The people of Golan rejected the decision and remained steadfast in the face of the Israeli attempts to impose the Israeli identity through demolishing the Arab towns, building settlements, giving Jewish names to Arab areas and announcing the Golan as being under custody.

The Golan people challenged these aggressive moves and defended their national dignity and the Arabism of the Golan, stressing that the Golan is Arab Syrian, and that they would rather die before accepting annexing, accepting no alternative of the Syrian identity.”

Syria didn’t leave its sons in Golan and provided them with unlimited support, and it managed to make the decision to annexing Golan null and void internationally.

The Golan people addressed the UN on February 10th, 1982 on this issue, and after that the Israeli occupation arrested more than 40 citizens. On 14th of February, a comprehensive national strike took place with continuous demonstrations and clashes with the Israeli soldiers who failed to end the strike despite the brutal tactics used against the demonstrators.

Golan people Hold National Event in Rejection of the Annexing Decision

In rejection of the Israeli decision to annex the Golan and to stress its Arab Syrian identity, the people of Golan held a national event in the occupied town of Buqatha.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Church, said that the Golan will remain an Arab Syrian land, adding that this event represents the victory of will over the Israeli dominance.

“What Syria is facing is a war on the Resistance because Syria is the heart of resistance,” he said, expressing salutation to President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian people and army.

For his part, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr stressed that slaughter, murder, demolishing mosques and churches are neither Jihad no reform, adding that the persons who collected money at the expense of the Syrian blood are war merchants and that the Syrians will hold them accountable.

The participants stressed that the Golan people support the leadership of President al-Assad and the Syrian people and army “until the sun of freedom shines again on the occupied Golan.”

They expressed their faith that the Golan will be restored to the homeland, adding that betting on time to make the Golan people neglect their identity is a lost bet.