Dutch mountains. Northeastern redoubt of the state of israel

I confess that I did not believe it when I read that the Golan Heights, located in the northeast of Israel, are the most militarized region in the world. The already endless strife in the Middle East is an eyesore, so is this depressing fact. But it should be noted that the Golan Heights is a treasure trove of impressions for those who are interested in the history of the 20th century, in particular the history of the East and military history. This piece of land 100 kilometers long and 25 to 30 wide is literally dotted with military installations. About half of this mountain plateau is occupied by minefields, bunkers, anti-tank ditches, and firing positions. Everybody mined this unfortunate land: the French, the British, the Turks, the Syrians, the Israelis. Over the past half century, these places have experienced at least four large-scale and bloody wars, and so far, the "renaissance" is still very far away.

About a month before my trip to the Golan Heights, I was in Egypt, and the trip was themed and dedicated to the Arab-Israeli wars. Namely - the Bar-Lev line, built by the Israelis along the Suez Canal in 1967 to protect against a possible attack from Egypt. ... And this despite the fact that I have never been a fan of the military theme. Three years of my own military service made such an indelible impression on me that it seemed that everything connected with the army would repel me for the rest of my days. But no! These powerful fortifications, a congregation of abandoned military equipment, command posts and so on did not leave indifferent. And so, continuing to reveal the theme of the Arab-Israeli wars, I went to the second line. This time to the site of the Israeli-Syrian wars, to the Golan.

No sooner said than done. We have a funny team, all the heroes of which are known to the reader from previous articles. We are doubly lucky. My companions are traveling in their car. And by some coincidence, as in my last visit to Israel, I manage to get a work car from another friend, who has left the car for me now, because he is leaving on a business trip to Europe. There is no better combination of circumstances.

Travel planning

Israel is a small country and seemingly urbanized to the limit. And yet there are places where tourists are very rare. For example - the Golan Heights. Someone might argue that the Golan is not a unique route, and almost every Israeli has been there. This is all true. But the fact is that tourists visit the Golan only pointwise. Lovers group tours they travel by bus along standard routes - the ruins of an ancient synagogue in Katzrin, then a winery, a souvenir shop, and the Banias waterfall. Sometimes tourists will be brought to Mount Avital, from where a panorama of the Syrian city of Quneitra opens. Everything. There is nothing more for a group tourist to count on. Active Israelis will tell you that in their youth they climbed all the canyons of the Golan Heights, and saw dozens of waterfalls and breathtaking landscapes there.

But if you think about a really unusual route, and you will see that you will not find not only advisers, but even reference materials on the topic. We planned to drive through the battle sites of the two main wars between Syria and Israel - 1967 and 1973. In scale, these battles can only be compared with the battles of the Kursk Bulge, at least in the context of the equipment and manpower involved. Obviously, this could not pass without a trace. Syria lost about 1,000 tanks in 1967, and about 1,500 more in 1973. Plus a myriad of armored personnel carriers, trucks, guns, auxiliary equipment. And hundreds of bunkers and defense lines have not disappeared anywhere, and are still very interesting for the amateur.

Taking into account that such routes are not developed, we ourselves had to raise this layer of information. Collecting it literally bit by bit. Studying articles about these wars, checking the names on the map, putting them on the map using the google.earth program. We studied old books with black and white photographs, we read themed military Internet communities. It took at least a week to prepare for this three-day trip.

Border with Syria and Jordan along the Yarmouk river canyon

The history of the Golan Heights looks like this: at the beginning of the twentieth century, the territories of modern Syria and Lebanon were under the French protectorate, and Israel and Jordan were under the British. After World War II, the British and French left the Middle East, granting all the above states independence. The Golan Heights went to Syria, and the border with Israel ran in a straight line from north to south, from Mount Hermon to Lake Kinneret. The Syrian Golan Heights towered over Israel's Hula Valley and Kinneret. Syria owned all the water sources of the Jordan River, and from the positions of the Syrian army, the entire north of Israel, including dozens of agricultural settlements located in the valley and the city of Kiryat Shmona, was shot through.

Without going into the origins and chronology of the Arab-Israeli conflict, it should be emphasized that the Syrian-Israeli border has never been calm. Artillery duels broke out almost daily, and groups of militants continually attempted to infiltrate Israel. On June 6, 1967, the so-called Six Day War began, during which Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, Judea from Samaria from Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. The Golan has become a buffer zone, and Israeli troops have taken up positions just 50 kilometers from Damascus. Since that time, the development of newly acquired lands began. There were founded about 20 settlements engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. The task was difficult. Imagine a high-altitude volcanic plateau overgrown with dead grass with sparse groves. Much of the Golan is dotted with minefields. These places were mined by the Turks at the beginning of the century, rightly fearing the British. Then the French and the British, later the Syrians.

Somewhere I came across figures stating that on average, for every square kilometer of the area, there are hundreds of mines. It is clear that the mining maps have been lost, so their exact location and number will remain a mystery. Even today, after 40 years of Israeli rule and efforts to reclaim the Golan Heights, the site still resembles a front line. A large part of the land was cleared by trial and error, fortunately, this mission was carried out by herds of cows and sheep, but no one touched the territories adjacent to the new border with Syria - and why. The countries are still at war, and the bitter experience of the Syrians, who lost several hundred tanks to mines in 1973, proves once again that Israel is too early to rush to mine clearance.

The border between Israel and Syria ran until 1967 across the Jordan. The river is narrow here, but very rough, and it makes noise in the depths of the gorge. The bridge itself is a massive steel structure, thrown about fifty meters to the opposite bank. On the bridge, two cars cannot pass, so from time to time there are traffic jams. Immediately after the bridge, we decided to walk south along the river, because not far away, right in the middle of the river, we noticed an island of a strange shape. It turned out to be a Syrian T-55 tank lying upside down. For four decades, the waters of the Jordan brought the war machine in silt, turning it into an islet where bushes sprouted and frogs croaked heartily. To the left of the road, among the eucalyptus trees, is a dilapidated two-story building of the former Syrian customs. This place is surrounded by a perimeter fence with signs “Caution - mines!”.

Gently stepping on the stones, as if walking through a swamp, we entered the building. The fact is that the main type of mines that the Syrians used were anti-tank mines of the Soviet production of the TMD class. In these places, there were almost no clever, anti-personnel charges. Old, bulky TMD mines were placed in soft ground, so stepping on stones our risk was minimal. The passage of time seems to have stopped here forty years ago. Corridors and rooms littered with a centimeter layer of applied dust and sand, grass, in some places, sprouted through tiles, pieces of furniture, Arabic inscriptions on the walls. In one of the rooms, on the second floor, there are mountains of 7.62 caliber Soviet-made shell casings that have been shot, and here is a meter-long hole from a direct hit from a tank shell. The whole room is covered in soot, the plaster is dotted with hundreds of blast holes. The debris of the shell is scattered right under our feet. Needless to say, the Syrians who were here had a hard time. However, now all this is the property of history.

The toilets looked especially touching - typically army holes in the floor without doors and partitions, but near one of them, on an upturned bucket, lay a book in Arabic. At first, we decided that it appeared here much later, but the layer of dust and the very condition of the book (gray-yellow and very dilapidated) indicated that it was left here a long time ago. There was also an ancient Soviet 20-liter canister with a quality mark visible through a layer of rust. In the courtyard of the customs office, we saw an old, wrecked bus of an incomprehensible brand and a twisted front part of the “UAZ”, resembling a sieve, because of the number of holes on it. We did not dare to come closer - there was waist-deep grass in the yard and there could really be mines here. After taking a few pictures from the porch, we walked through the building, returned to the highway, and continued along the route.

Jordan River - the border between Israel and Syria passed here until 1967

In fairness, it should be added that during the war, this site was far from the main hostilities. The Jilabun area was so seriously fortified by the Syrians that the Israelis initially decided not to take it head-on in order to avoid major losses. Instead, the main attack on the Syrian positions fell on Gur-El-Askar, which is 20 km north, at the foot of Mount Hermon. After that, the Israelis moved to the Syrian outpost in Qel'a - the most powerful fortified area was located there, which, nevertheless, was taken on the second day of the fighting.

Abandoned Syrian military unit

Keeper of the ruins

With the capture of Kel'a, the Syrian defenses were hacked and Israeli tanks found themselves deep behind enemy lines. The Syrian commanders on the ground, realizing that officials from Damascus had given their lives to the mercy of Allah, and the enemy was about to come from the rear, decided that it would be wiser to leave their positions and retreat while possible. Hence the huge amount of military equipment abandoned by the Syrians, captured by the Israelis practically without a fight. On the sides, now and then there are former Syrian bunkers, trench networks and crumpled Soviet T-34 and T-55 tanks, no less mutilated Israeli Centurions and Pattons.

After a few kilometers, we turn left onto a dirt road. Two kilometers from here, judging by the map, is the Jelabun Canyon with the river of the same name and three beautiful waterfalls. We pass through the forest, inside which there are several destroyed Syrian bunkers, connected by trenches partially covered with earth. Here, right next to the road, there is almost a whole GAZ-51. This specimen has been preserved so well that if it were not for a layer of rust, the absence of wheels and broken windows, one could take it for a completely working exhibit.

1973 war

In 1973, the situation was different. This time, the Syrians stormed, and the Israelis held their defenses on the heights in the eastern part of the Golan Heights. If in 1967 the victory of the Israeli troops was lightning-fast and unambiguous, then in the next war everything was more complicated. Arab countries prepared well for the attack, and carried it out almost simultaneously - Egypt in the Sinai, and Syria in the Golan. In this war arab world showed an enviable cohesion, and even those countries that did not take part in the battles directly supported Syria with Egypt materially and with weapons. Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan - they all sent their military contingents. Even Cuba did not stand aside, sending several thousand of its military advisers to the Golan.

All of the above has put Israel in a situation that can be described as "either pan or lost." Strategic cone-shaped volcanoes, which dot the entire border strip with Syria, played a good service to the Israelis. Along the perimeter of these volcanoes, the edge of the earth was cut, depriving the enemy of the opportunity for an assault using heavy equipment.

Volcano-fortress. This is Fares, just one of about 25 similar

In addition, the Israelis have been diligently digging anti-tank trenches for several years, and abundantly "fertilizing" the border line several kilometers inland with mines. Plus a multi-stage line of defense immediately behind the strip of "fortified volcanoes".

At two o'clock in the afternoon, after an hour of artillery barrage, Syrian forces crossed the armistice line established by the UN after the 1967 war (the so-called "Purple Line") and attacked the fortifications on the Golan Heights in the Quneitra area with three infantry, two tank divisions and a separate tank brigade ... Although three divisions were called infantry divisions, each of them had 200 tanks. The Syrians were opposed by one infantry and one tank brigade of the Israeli army, as well as part of the units of the 7th tank brigade. In four battalions of the 188th Tank Brigade, there were 90-100 tanks (mostly “Centurions”) and 44 105- and 155-mm self-propelled guns. The total number of Israeli tanks in the Golan Heights was only 180-200 vehicles.

During the fighting, the Syrians managed to break through several defense lines. This was given to them at an incredibly high price. Syria lost half of all its armored vehicles and tens of thousands of soldiers killed and wounded. And yet, in this war, the Israelis had an extremely bad time, since the bulk of the forces were deployed on the Egyptian front. The most difficult battles took place north of Quneitra, in a place that the Israelis now call the Valley of Tears.

In many ways, the defenders were helped by the Syrian misstep with mining maps - hundreds of Syrian tanks hit the mines. In addition, Israeli aviation was continuously operating, striking the Syrian advancing columns. And yet, in those few days, the Israelis lost only 772 people killed. Now a monument has been erected at the site of the battles. There is also a T-55 tank. And a little to the side, literally a kilometer away, you can visit a real line of fortifications, which the Syrians stormed in 1973. There will be abandoned destroyed tanks, trenches, and bunkers.

The second most important battle took place closer to Mount Hermon, not far from the Druze village of Masada. The battle site is now located behind the ceasefire line, and UN observers will not let you there.

Some interesting points

The military will not let you go somewhere. At the same time, it is quite realistic to visit the building of the former Syrian headquarters, from where the command was carried out during the 1967 war. This massive and abandoned building is located literally right next to the current ceasefire line, just 800 meters from the first residential buildings of Syrian Quneitra.

And this is how the building looked right after its capture in 1967 -

Surprisingly, it is quite possible to visit this place. The main thing is not to try to drive further - there will be mines and anti-tank ditches. The building was built in the spirit of socialist realism.

It was bombed during the war, but you can easily walk along the endless corridors, look into the offices. And even climb to the roof, from where the houses of Quneitra are well viewed, which is very close, literally 5 minutes walk ...

You can also visit a place called in Hebrew "Brihat ktsinim" (officers' pool). This is a real pool, built right on the springs near the gorge of the Gilbon River.

Here until 1967 a kind of rest house for the Syrian military functioned. The war did not pass it by picturesque corner nature, and the sight of the torn-up buildings around can only cause a heavy sigh. And yet the pool itself has survived, and you can even take a dip there. The water is crystal clear!

By the way, an interesting moment of that war. It is believed that Damascus was saved by the Iraqis. After two weeks of fighting, the Israelis managed to turn the tide of events and go from desperate defense to the offensive. Israeli tanks drove the Syrian troops behind the line preceding the war, and even advanced forward in the direction of Damascus. Syria, which by that time had practically lost its air force and most of its tanks, could not oppose anything to the enemy, except for a solid defense right on the streets of Damascus. The Iraqi tank division directly from the march got involved in the battle with the advancing Israeli forces. Moreover, for the Iraqis, this was the first battle in the history of their army with anyone. It was then that the protracted Iranian-Iraqi war awaited them, and in 1973 they were absolutely unprepared for battles. All the more so with the Israelis, who had vast combat experience.

Inexperienced Iraqi crews were ambushed and in the very first hours of the fighting they lost more than 120 combat vehicles. By the evening of October 12, almost the entire Iraqi division was destroyed, the soldiers in panic abandoned their equipment and retreated. And yet the Iraqis have fulfilled their mission. They delayed the advance of the Israelis and exhausted them greatly. Precious time was lost, the Israeli counteroffensive stopped, and soon, under UN pressure, Israel and Syria agreed to a truce.

The so-called "Oil Road" stretched across the Golan Heights from north to south. Now it looks not the best way - broken asphalt, cracks in which you can lose the wheel of your car. By this road interesting story... In 1947, this road was specially paved for the subsequent construction of an oil pipeline from Saudi Arabia to the port of Sayda in Lebanon. The oil pipeline was built by such oil and gas "monsters" as Esso, Texaco, Aramco, Shell.

Huge air turbines. Pay attention to the car below. For comparison.

It was assumed that Saudi oil would run along this line to Saida and further on tankers to Europe. Huge funds have been invested in the construction of this 1214 kilometer line. Surprisingly, no Arab-Israeli wars stopped the operation of the pipeline even for a day. Black gold flowed into the Lebanese Saida until 1976, when a dispute arose between the Saudi authorities and Lebanon over transit duties. Doesn't it remind you of the recent gas dispute between Ukraine and Russia?

In contact with

The Golan Heights is a disputed territory in the Middle East, currently controlled by Israel. Until 1967, it was part of the Syrian province of Quneitra, captured by Israel in the course.

In 1981, the Knesset of Israel adopted "", where Israel's sovereignty over the territory was unilaterally proclaimed. The annexation was invalidated by UN Security Council Resolution 497 of December 17, 1981.

Both Israel and Syria consider the Golan Heights to be part of their territory.

Geography

The Golan Heights is a volcanic plateau stretching east from (Lake Kinéret) and further into Syria. Most of it is located at an altitude of more than 1000 m above sea level. The area occupied by Israel in the Golan Heights is about 1150 km² with a length of 60 km and an average width of 25 km.

Osiris, Public Domain

In the west, the plateau drops abruptly towards the Sea of \u200b\u200bGalilee, in the south and southeast it is bounded by a deep and narrow gorge. There are no clear natural boundaries in the east. Most of the Golan Plateau is located in Syria.

The highest point in the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights is 2,236 m. The territory occupied by Israel accounts for 7% of the Hermon Range, and highest point in Syrian territory it reaches 2814 m. At least from November to March, the top of Hermon is covered with snow. Israel has built there.

Vodnik, CC BY-SA 2.5

Agriculture is well developed and includes numerous orchards (apples, cherries), berries (raspberries, strawberries). The cultivation of grapes and winemaking are very popular.

On the southwestern tip of the plateau, there are thermal springs known since Roman times.

The Golan Heights is a fairly picturesque place. There are numerous nature reserves, streams and waterfalls. The Golan has a very moderate climate. Due to the altitude, it is not very hot in summer and rather cold in winter, relative to the rest of Israel.

Precipitation is comparatively plentiful and flows into the nearby Galilee, from which Israel draws a significant portion of its drinking water. According to various estimates, up to a third of the water consumed in Israel comes from the Golan Heights.

History

Archaeological excavations in the Golan have led to the discovery of many archaeological sites from the Biblical, Roman and medieval eras. A large number of ancient finds shedding light on the history of the Golan Heights are presented in the Museum of Antiquities of the Golan in the city and in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

The most ancient landmarks of the Golan Heights include the megalith of the Late Copper - Early Bronze Age.

Archaeological excavations begun at the end of the 19th century. and received a systematic character only after the Six Day War, many architectural monuments, testifying to the existence of a large Jewish population there at least from the time until the 7th century.

Amoruso, CC BY-SA 2.5

In November 1917, the British Foreign Secretary (and formerly Prime Minister) Lord Arthur Balfour was made public, in which the British government declared that it “favors the creation of a homeland in Palestine for the Jewish people and will use all its power to accelerate the achievement of this goals ... ". The main motive for supporting the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a Jewish national state in Palestine was to enlist the sympathy of world Jewry at the end of the First World War (this was especially true of American Jews).

Department of Military Art and Engineering, at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), Public Domain

The hostilities on the Palestinian front ended only in October 1918 with the signing. Shortly after the defeat in World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Mandates

In April 1920, after the First World War, a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Entente Powers and the states that joined them took place in the city of San Remo (Italy), where the distribution of Class A mandates of the League of Nations to govern the territories of the former Ottoman Empire in the Middle East took place. In accordance with the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the League of Nations incorporated the Golan Heights. The territory under the mandate, where, as indicated in the text of the sixth paragraph of the mandate, “the settlement of the lands by Jews was encouraged”, was carved out according to geographic boundaries Eretz Yisrael.

At the same time, in 1920, the Syrian Arab Kingdom was founded with its center in Damascus. Faisal of the Hashemite dynasty, who later became king of Iraq, was declared king. But the independence of Syria did not last long. Within a few months, the French army occupied Syria, defeating Syrian troops on July 23 in the battle at the Meisaloun Pass.

In 1922, the League of Nations decided to divide the former Syrian dominion of Turkey between Great Britain and France. Great Britain received Palestine, which includes modern Jordan, and France - the modern territory of Syria and Lebanon (the so-called "League of Nations mandate"). The League of Nations, on the basis of the decisions of the conference in San Remo, gave Great Britain a mandate for Palestine, explaining this by the need to "establish political, administrative and economic conditions in the country for the safe formation of a Jewish national home."

The British Mandate for Palestine was supposed to come into force in September 1923, but England transferred the Golan Heights to France in March 1923, and they became part of Syria and Lebanon.

Since that time, attempts by Jews to establish settlements here have met with constant opposition from the French authorities in Syria under the mandate. The French Mandate lasted until 1943.

In 1936, a treaty was signed between Syria and France providing for the independence of Syria, but in 1939 France refused to ratify it.

In 1940, France itself was occupied by German troops, and Syria came under the control of the Vichy regime (governor - General Denz). Nazi Germany, having provoked the insurrection of Prime Minister Geylani in British Iraq, sent its air forces to Syria. In June-July 1941, with the support of British troops, the Free French units (later renamed Fighting France) led by Generals Charles de Gaulle and Catroux entered Syria during a bloody conflict with Denz's troops. General de Gaulle in his memoirs directly pointed out that the events in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon were directly related to the German plans to invade the USSR (as well as Greece, including the island of Crete, and Yugoslavia), as they had the task of distracting military establishment allies to secondary theaters of war.

On September 27, 1941, France granted independence to Syria, leaving its troops on its territory until the end of World War II.

In January 1944, Syria declared independence and the Golan territory was included in the state borders of Syria. After that, the creation of Jewish settlements in the Golan Heights became absolutely impossible. Syria's independence was recognized on April 17, 1946.

Independent Syria

On May 14, 1948, one day before the end of the British mandate for Palestine, he proclaimed the creation of an independent Jewish state on the territory allocated according to the UN plan. The very next day, the League of Arab States declared war on Israel, and five Arab states (Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Transjordan) attacked the new country, thus starting what is called the "War of Independence" in Israel.

On July 20, 1949, as a result of the war between Israel and Syria, the Armistice Agreement was concluded.

At the end of the war, the Syrians covered the Golan with a network of artillery positions and fortifications to shell Jewish settlements and the area of \u200b\u200bthe Sea of \u200b\u200bGalilee, subordinating the entire economy of the region to military needs. As a result of systematic shelling of Israeli territory from these positions, from 1948 to 1967. 140 Israelis were killed and many were wounded.

Israeli occupation since 1967

On June 9-10, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israeli forces launched an offensive and, after 24 hours of heavy fighting, occupied the Golan Heights. Thus, the Golan Heights, having come under the control of Syria in 1944 after the termination of the French mandate, were under Syrian control for 23 years.

In the late 1970s, the government granted Israeli citizenship to Syrian citizens living in the heights, and in November 1981 Israel formally annexed the Golan Heights, extending its jurisdiction over them. The act has not received international recognition.

Today about 39 thousand people live in the Golan. Of the Syrian settlements, 4 villages remained: Madjdal Shams, Masaada (local pronunciation - Masade), Bukata and Ein Kinie; most of their inhabitants are.

A large number of old Syrian minefields remain in the Golan Heights. Most of them are fenced and marked with warning signs, but they are not neutralized. As a result, natural nature has been preserved over a large area and there are places where, since 1967, no human has actually set foot.

David Shay, GNU 1.2

Since the beginning of 2011, the units have begun laying new minefields in the Golan Heights. The decision on the new mining of the border was made after the Palestinians, who came from Syria, managed to break through the border fence and penetrate into Israeli territory, while the old mines did not work. In addition, by 2012 Israel had built a separation wall here. The IDF is strengthening the wall along the ceasefire line and installing additional surveillance equipment to prevent possible infiltration attempts by Syrian refugees or militants, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Photo gallery

Helpful information

Golan heights
Golan
hebrew רָמַת הַגוֹלָן
transliteration. "Ramat ha-Golan"
arab. هضبة الجولان or مرتفعات الجولان
transliteration "hadbat al-Jolan" or "murtafaat al-Jolan"

Political status

In December 1981, Israeli jurisdiction was extended to the Golan region.

Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights is not internationally recognized. UN Security Council Resolution 497 of December 17, 1981 considers this area to be part of the Syrian occupied territories. The annexation was also condemned by the UN General Assembly in 2008.

The Syrian population of the Golan before the Israeli occupation of the territory was about 116,000 people. During the Six Day War, most of this population fled (according to the Israeli version) or were expelled by the Israelis (according to the Syrian version).

According to the Syrian version, Israel forbade these people to return after the war. After the Six Day War, only 6,400 Syrian citizens remained in the Golan, mostly Druze. In 1981, following the annexation of the Golan by Israel, they were offered Israeli citizenship.

Most of the Druze initially renounced Israeli citizenship, but eventually adopted it. Today, according to Syrian data, 16,000 Syrians live in the Golan.

Since 1967, Israel has built 34 settlements in the Golan. The total number of their population in 2007 is about 20 thousand people. The population of Druze villages in the Golan is about 18 thousand people. In general, a significant part of the territory is sparsely populated.

The question of possible talks between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights issue has a long history. As a rule, this is associated with internal political events in Israel and / or Syria, or with the next international initiative.

On March 25, 2019, Donald Trump signed a document recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Motives of Israel

There are several reasons why Israel is defending its right to the Golan Heights:

• Legal aspect... For decades, Israeli lawmakers, legal scholars, historians and many politicians have persistently argued and strengthened in the minds of most Israelis the view that the Golan is a land that belonged to the Jewish people since ancient times and was illegally transferred to Syria in 1923. According to this point of view, initially the Golan, in accordance with the mandate of the League of Nations, was assigned to Great Britain, and that, guided by the Balfour Declaration, was supposed to promote the creation of a "Jewish national hearth" in the territories under its control. However, the border of the mandated territory was revised during the Anglo-French negotiations during the division of the Damascus vilayet in violation of the international obligations of the countries that won the First World War.

• Military aspect... Israeli politicians argue that the natural relief of the Golan is ideal for ensuring Israel's security on the eastern frontiers. And that, on the contrary, the loss of the Golan, from the tops of which almost half of Israel can freely shoot, significantly reduces its defenses. As an example of the need to preserve the Israeli presence precisely in the Golan Heights, the Israeli leadership usually cites the fact that the transition of this area to Israeli sovereignty provided more than three decades of "positive calm" in the zone, where there had been constant military clashes before. Conversely, the transfer of the Golan to Syria has the potential to destabilize the security situation.

• Economic aspect... The Golan Heights is economically one of the most prosperous regions in Israel. There is virtually no unemployment here. More than 50% of Israel's mineral water is produced in the Golan, about a quarter of all wines (including 40% for export), from 30 to 50% of certain types of fruits and vegetables. Good weather and the presence of historical and natural monuments provide an influx of tourists. Despite the fact that the tourism business in Israel has been significantly affected by the ongoing confrontation with the Palestinians, the Golan continues to be the site of a steady influx of tourists from Israel and abroad (about 2.1 million visits per year).
  In addition, according to the estimates of Israeli specialists, the entire procedure associated with leaving the Golan would cost the state treasury at least $ 10 billion (the Americans promise to provide only $ 17 million for this purpose), while the military contingent on the border would have to be increased with Syria. Israel cannot afford such expenses.

• Water supply aspect... Of the few rivers in Israel with a year-round aquifer, only the Jordan River and its three tributaries - El Hasbani (Snir), Baniasi (Banias) and Liddani (Dan) - replenish Lake Tiberias, which is the main reservoir. fresh water in the country and hardly meeting its current needs. Israel currently draws more than 30% of its drinking water from sources flowing through the Golan Heights. According to experts from the Bureau for Relations with Jews of the CIS and of Eastern Europe under the office of the Prime Minister (Nativ), the transfer of the Golan Heights to Syria would involve a loss of 70% of the Kinneret catchment. According to this opinion, the transfer of the Golan to Syrian control will inevitably lead Israel to water hunger and environmental disaster.

• Social aspect... Unlike the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the non-Jewish population in the Golan is small, and the Druze living at the foot of Mount Hermon are mostly loyal to Israel and its policies.

Between Israeli and Syrian forces at the end of the Six Day War.

Geography

View from the Golan Heights.

The Golan Heights are a mountain plateau of volcanic origin, extending eastward from Lake Tiberias (Hebrew ים כנרת - Lake Kineret) and the Hula Valley, and further into Syria. Most of it is located at an altitude of more than 1000 meters above sea level. The area occupied by Israel in the Golan Heights is about 1,150 km² with a length of 60 km and an average width of 25 km.

In the west, the plateau drops abruptly towards Lake Tiberias, in the south and southeast it is limited by the deep and narrow gorge of the Yarmuk River. There are no clear natural boundaries in the east. Most of the Golan Plateau (about two thirds) is in Israel, the remaining third is in Syria.

The highest point in the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights is Mount Hermon, 2,236 meters high. The territory occupied by Israel accounts for 7% of the Hermon Range, and the highest point in the Syrian territory reaches 2814 m. At least from November to March, the top of Hermon is covered with snow. Israel built there ski resort.

Agriculture is well developed and includes numerous orchards (apples, cherries), berries (raspberries, strawberries). The cultivation of grapes and winemaking are very popular.

At the southwestern tip of the plateau are the Hamat-Gader thermal springs, known since Roman times.

The Golan Heights is a picturesque place. There are numerous nature reserves, streams and waterfalls. The Golan has a very moderate climate. Due to the altitude, it is not very hot in summer and rather cold in winter, relative to the rest of Israel.

The hydrographic network is well developed. Rivers and streams formed by precipitation here (the main type of food - rain) are relatively numerous and flow into the Jordan and Lake Tiberias (Lake Kinneret), from which Israel takes a significant part of its drinking water. According to various estimates, up to a third of the water consumed in Israel comes from the Golan Heights.

History

Archaeological excavations in the Golan have revealed many archaeological sites from the Biblical, Roman and medieval eras. A large number of ancient finds shedding light on the history of the Golan Heights are presented in the Museum of Antiquities of the Golan in the city of Katzrin and in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

The most ancient landmarks of the Golan Heights include the Wheel of Spirits, a megalith of the Late Copper - Early Bronze Age.

Archaeological excavations, which began at the end of the 19th century and became systematic only after the Six Day War, have uncovered many architectural monuments that testify to the existence of a large Jewish population there, at least from the time of Herod I to the Arab conquest in the 7th century. The ruins of synagogues, columns with images of Jewish symbols and with inscriptions in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek were found in the areas of the villages of Hamat Gader, Khirbet Kanaf, Kafr Kharib, the city of Katzrin and in many other places.

In biblical times, the Golan Heights area belonged to Bashan and was inhabited by the Rephaim. The name "Golan" comes from the name of the biblical city "Golan in Basan" (Deut.).

Ottoman Empire

World War I

In November 1917, a declaration was made public by the British Foreign Secretary (and formerly Prime Minister) Lord Arthur Balfour, in which the British government declared that it “favors the creation in Palestine of a homeland for the Jewish people and will use all its capabilities to accelerate the achievement of this goals ... ". The main motive for supporting the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a Jewish national state in Palestine was to enlist the sympathy of world Jewry at the end of the First World War (this was especially true of American Jews).

The hostilities on the Palestinian front ended only in October 1918 with the signing of the Mudros truce. Shortly after the defeat in World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Mandates

Borders around the Golan Heights at different times.

Then, in 1920, the "Syrian Arab Kingdom" was founded with its center in Damascus. Faisal of the Hashemite dynasty, who later became king of Iraq, was declared king. But the independence of Syria did not last long. Within a few months, the French army occupied Syria, defeating Syrian troops on July 23 at the Battle of the Maysaloun Pass.

The British Mandate for Palestine was due to take effect in September 1923, but Britain handed over the Golan Heights to France in March 1923, and they became part of the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. At the beginning of 1924, in accordance with the agreements, France transferred under British mandate control the border section of the territory on which the sources of Liddani (Dan) and the ruins of Tel Dan are located.

Since that time, attempts by Jews to establish settlements here have met with constant opposition from the French authorities in Syria under the mandate. The French Mandate lasted until 1943.

In 1936, an agreement was signed between Syria and France providing for the independence of Syria, but in 1939 France refused to ratify it.

In 1940, France itself was occupied by German troops, and Syria came under the control of the Vichy regime (governor - General Henri Fernand Denz). Nazi Germany, having provoked the insurrection of Prime Minister Gailani in British Iraq, sent its Air Force units to Syria. In June-July 1941, with the support of British troops, the Free French units (later renamed the Fighting France), led by Generals Charles de Gaulle and Catroux, entered Syria during a bloody conflict with Denz's troops. General de Gaulle in his memoirs directly pointed out that the events in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon were directly related to the German plans to invade the USSR (as well as Greece, including the island of Crete, and Yugoslavia), as they had the task of distracting the armed Allied forces on secondary theaters of war.

On September 27, 1941, France granted independence to Syria, leaving its troops on its territory until the end of World War II.

Independent Syria

In January 1944, Syria declared independence, and the Golan territory was included in the state borders of Syria. After that, the creation of Jewish settlements in the Golan Heights became absolutely impossible. Syria's independence was recognized on April 17, 1946.

On May 14, 1948, one day before the end of the British Mandate for Palestine, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the creation of an independent Jewish state on the territory allocated according to the UN plan. The very next day, the League of Arab States declared war on Israel, and seven Arab states (Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Transjordan) attacked the new country, thereby starting the first Arab-Israeli war, called Israel " War of Independence ”.

On July 20, 1949, as a result of the war between Israel and Syria, the Armistice Agreement was concluded.

At the end of the war, the Syrians covered the Golan with a network of artillery positions and fortifications for shelling the Jewish settlements of the Upper Galilee and the region of Lake Kinneret, subordinating the entire economy of the region to military needs. As a result of systematic shelling of Israeli territory from these positions, from 1948 to 1967, 140 Israelis were killed, many were injured. According to Syrian data, in 1966 about 147.5 thousand people lived in the Golan Heights (the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia gives a lower estimate - 116 thousand), of which about 80% were Arabs. In Quneitra governorate there were 312 settlements and individual housing units, including two cities - El Quneitra in its central part and Fick on South .

Under Israeli control

The buildings in Quneitra were also looted. Israeli officials claim Quneitra was plundered by the retreating Syrians. Niels-Goran Güssing, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, considers such a version as unlikely, given the extremely short time interval between the erroneous radio announcement of the fall and the actual fall of the city a few hours later. He concluded that "the responsibility for carrying out this extensive sacking of the city of Quneitra lay largely with the Israeli forces."

The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants said that "before the withdrawal, the Israelis leveled the city with bulldozers and dynamite."

Since 1974, Quneitra has been in the neutral demilitarized zone between the Israeli and Syrian borders controlled by UN forces. The city remains practically uninhabited to this day. The capital of the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan is the city of Katzrin.

In the late 1970s, the Israeli government granted Israeli citizenship to Syrian citizens living in the Golan Heights, and in November 1981, Israel formally annexed the Golan Heights, extending its jurisdiction over them. The act did not receive international recognition ( see section ""). Today about 39 thousand people live in the Golan. Of the Syrian settlements, 4 villages have survived: Madjdal Shams, Masaada (local pronunciation - Masada), Bukata and Ein Kinia; most of their inhabitants are Druze.

A warning sign in minefields.

A large number of old Syrian minefields remain in the Golan Heights. Most of them are fenced and marked with warning signs, but they are not neutralized. As a result, natural nature has been preserved on a large territory and there are places where, since 1967, no human has actually set foot.

After establishing control over the Golan Heights, the Israel Defense Forces set up fortified posts here, equipped with electronic equipment for reconnaissance. The largest electronic intelligence stations are located on Mount Hermon (60 km from Damascus), as well as on the heights of Hermonit, Tel Fares, Avital and Buster.

Syrian Civil War period

Since the beginning of 2011, units of the Israel Defense Forces have begun laying new minefields in the Golan Heights. The decision on the new mining of the border was made after the Palestinians, who came from Syria, managed to break through the border fence and penetrate into Israeli territory, while the old mines did not work. In addition, by 2012 Israel had built a separation wall here. The IDF has reinforced the wall along the ceasefire line and has also installed additional border surveillance to prevent possible infiltration attempts by Syrian refugees or militants, the Guardian reported.

During the civil war (2011-2018), Quneitra was almost completely captured by rebels and Majahideen. Only in the summer of 2018, the Syrian Arab Army managed to oust most of the militants from the region.

Political status

El Quneitra (governorate)

Located in the southwestern part of the country. The administrative center is Madinat elBaas (the city of El-Quneitra 1964-67). The area is under control 600 km (officially 1861 km²). In the northeast, it borders with Damascus governorate, in the east - with Dar'a governorate, in the south - with Jordan, in the west - with Israel partially along the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias, in the north - with Lebanon.

Golan (District)

In December 1981, Israeli jurisdiction was extended to the Golan region by a decision of the Knesset. Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights is not internationally recognized. UN Security Council Resolution 497 of December 17, 1981 considers this area to be part of the Syrian occupied territories. The annexation was also condemned by the UN General Assembly in 2008. In official UN documents, the Israeli-controlled territory of the Golan is referred to as the "occupied Syrian Golan" (occupied Syrian Golan).

The majority of the Syrian population of the Golan Heights left them as a result of the Six Day War - fled (according to the Israeli version) or were expelled by the Israelis (according to the Syrian version). According to the Syrian version, Israel forbade these people to return after the war. After the Six Day War, only 6,400 Syrian citizens remained in the Golan, mostly Druze. In 1981, following the annexation of the Golan by Israel, they were offered Israeli citizenship. Most of the Druze initially renounced Israeli citizenship, but eventually adopted it. Today, according to Syrian data, 16,000 Syrians live in the Golan.

Since 1967, Israel has built 34 settlements in the Golan. Their total population in 2007 was about 20 thousand people. The population of Druze villages in the Golan was about 18 thousand people. In general, a significant part of the territory is sparsely populated.

The question of possible talks between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights issue has a long history. As a rule, this is due to internal political events in Israel and / or Syria, or with the next international initiative. In the 1999-2000 US-sponsored talks between Syria and Israel, Israel made a proposal to retreat to the 1923 borders (see Paulet-Newcombe Agreement) so that control of the coast of Lake Tiberias would remain with Israel. ; negotiations were unsuccessful.

Motives of Israel

There are several reasons why Israel is defending its right to the Golan Heights:

• Legal aspect. For decades, Israeli legislators, legal scholars, historians and many politicians have persistently argued and strengthened in the minds of most Israelis the view that the Golan is a land that belonged to the Jewish people since ancient times and was illegally transferred to Syria in 1923. According to this point of view, initially the Golan, in accordance with the mandate of the League of Nations, was assigned to Great Britain, and that, guided by the Balfour Declaration, was supposed to promote the creation of a "Jewish national hearth" in the territories under its control. However, the border of the mandated territory was revised during the Anglo-French negotiations during the division of the Damascus vilayet in violation of the international obligations of the countries that won the First World War.

• The economic aspect. The Golan Heights is economically one of the most prosperous regions in Israel. There is virtually no unemployment here. More than 50% of Israel's mineral water is produced in the Golan, about a quarter of all wines (including 40% for export), from 30 to 50% of certain types of fruits and vegetables. Good weather and the presence of historical and natural monuments ensure an influx of tourists. Despite the fact that the tourism business in Israel has been significantly affected by the ongoing confrontation with the Palestinians, the Golan continues to be the site of a steady influx of tourists from Israel and abroad (about 2.1 million visits per year). The procedure related to the withdrawal from the Golan, including the resettlement of residents and the need to increase the military contingent on the border with Syria, will entail costs that Israel cannot cover from the state budget.

• Water supply aspect. Of the few rivers in Israel with a year-round aquifer, only the Jordan River and its three tributaries - El-Hasbani (Snir), Baniasi (Banias) and Liddani (Dan) - replenish Lake Tiberias, which is the main reservoir of fresh water in the country and already with difficulty provides her today's needs. Currently [ when?] over 30% of Israel's drinking water comes from springs flowing through the Golan Heights. According to experts from the Bureau for Relations with Jews of the CIS and Eastern Europe under the Prime Minister's Office (Nativ), the transfer of the Golan Heights to Syria would be associated with the loss of 70% of the Kinneret drainage basin. According to this opinion, the transfer of the Golan to Syrian control will inevitably lead Israel to water hunger and environmental disaster [ ] .

Photos

Notes

1. Ethnicity and religion in modern conflicts. M., 2012
2. Golan Heights - Background, (Government Press Office), Jerusalem, 8 February 1994. Retrieved June 2, 2018. (English)
3. The melody of return sounds the second century, the magazine "Rodina" (unavailable link - history) ... Retrieved June 2, 2018. Archived January 9, 2013. (Russian)
4. Balfour Declaration (November 2, 1917). British Mandate. ... Retrieved June 2, 2018. (Russian)

Golan Heights (Kinneret, Israel) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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Far East - that region, which, like the land of Hellas, can rightfully be called the cradle of European civilization. But even among the great variety of attractions presented here, one can single out, albeit with great difficulty, places that are simply must-see. Among them is a controversial territory with a difficult history, which is rich in cultural monuments and is distinguished by a special, somewhat harsh, but indescribably beautiful nature. We are talking about the famous Golan Heights.

History paragraph

The Golan Heights is a disputed territory between Syria and Israel, and each of the states considers these lands to be their own. In the period from 1944 to 1967, this region belonged to Syria, but after the Six Day War (in which the Israeli army left no chance to opponents from the coalition of Arab states), the territory was annexed. Today, both Syria and Israel claim the Golan Heights, but this territory is controlled by Israel.

The Golan Heights, like other parts of the Middle East, boast a very ancient history. It goes without saying that there were widely held archaeological excavations, which made it possible to find artifacts from the Old Testament times, the period of Roman rule and, of course, the Middle Ages. Of course, this concentration of attractions makes the Golan Heights one of the most popular travel destinations in Israel. In addition, in these places was discovered a monument of the late Bronze - early Silver Age - "Wheel of Spirits".

According to the information that scientists received, this area was densely populated by Jews until the 7th century, when the Arab conquerors invaded here.

What to see

Nature lovers should definitely visit national park Hermon and nature reserve Yaar-Yehudiya. Be sure to follow the scenic Nahal El Al route. The path will not take much time and effort - it is designed for half a day, and two very beautiful waterfalls... Also, it is interesting to walk along the Bir-Kat-Ram trail, here is a unique opportunity to see the crater of an extinct volcano and even walk along it. Another route leads to the Nimrod fortress, from the heights of which an amazingly picturesque view opens up.

The Golan Heights, among other things, are famous for their unique thermal springs located in the town of Hamat Gader. By the way, this healing resort was known in the 2nd century after the birth of Christ. So the local healing waters have been attracting guests here for more than one thousand years.

The capital of the Golan Heights is the city of Katzrin, which, however, does not stand out for anything remarkable. But not far from it there is a very picturesque village, where the Jewish settlement of the Talmudic period was reconstructed. Here you can see houses characteristic of that time, get acquainted with the details of everyday life and interior. Also noteworthy is the local archaeological museum.

Just 2 km from the city, there is a shopping center, where in an ultra-modern cinema you can watch the film "Magic of the Golan", which tells about the history and geography of this region.

Mount Bental is a sad monument to the tragic events that unfolded here in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, between Arabs and Jews. It was an important strategic point (it is to this day), therefore a terrifying bloody battle unfolded here. At the top, above the so-called "Valley of Tears", there is a bunker and a command post. Nearby is the cozy village of Merom Golan, a real center of agritourism - horseback riding, farm products and many other entertainments will undoubtedly delight guests.

For those who want to relax in a relaxed atmosphere and with the maximum number of amenities and entertainment, we can safely recommend Ramot. This small village is full of guesthouses and restaurants. And most importantly, it is located on the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bGalilee. Visiting Druze villages located in the north of the Golan can be considered a special exotic. The Druze are a special sub-ethnos professing Islam and living on these lands before the formation of the Israeli state. Today they are separated by the border with their relatives, but they managed to preserve a special national flavor both in everyday life and in the excellent local cuisine.

Jews have lived in the Golan since ancient times. From 953 BC these lands belonged to the kingdom of Israel, from 586 to Aramaic. In 332 BC. here came the empire of Alexander the great, and then - the Romans. The Golan Heights seemed to attract conquerors. And what about the Jewish population? Lived both under the Macedonians and under the Romans, fought for independence. But the First Jewish War ended with the destruction of the Second Temple. Not to reproach the Jews - they always fought heroically! But against Rome, as against a scrap, there was no admission: the whole world belonged to him. Then the rule of Rome over the Golan was inherited by Byzantium. And after the collapse of this empire, the Syrians ruled here. Subsequently, they were greatly interfered with by the crusaders who went from the Holy Land to Damascus.

In the 16th century, the Golan Heights became the property of the Ottoman Empire. And they remained so until the end of World War I. Then the Entente countries divided their dominance over the Turkish "fragments".

Back in 1917, through the mouth of Lord Balfour, Great Britain informed the whole world that it looked favorably on the fact that the Jews wanted to find their homeland in Palestine. However, in 1923 the British government transferred the Golan Heights to France. Mistress of the Syrian-Lebanese Mandate. And Syria, feeling French support behind its back, began to drive Jews from "their" land. In 1944, Syria declared its independence and incorporated the Golan into its borders. No other Jew could feel safe on this earth. After the War of Independence of the State of Israel, the Syrians turned the Golan into a solid military base. Shelling the Upper Galilee and the vicinity of the Kinneret. It's convenient from a height!

War for the Golan Heights.

During the 1967 Six Day War, Israel needed 24 hours to end its 23-year Syrian rule in the Golan. But it is too naive to hope that Syria will not try to regain such an important strategic point. And now, together with Egypt, which lost the Sinai Peninsula during the Six Day War, Syria attacked the Golan. It happened on October 6, 1973. For Muslims - the 10th day of the month of Ramadan. For Jews - Yom Kippur. Day of forgiveness, atonement, cleansing from sins. But what kind of forgiveness is there when 1,300 Syrian tanks and 28,000 soldiers entered the Golan Heights? Syria hoped for a quick breakthrough in Israel's defenses. Here they are, the bridges over the Jordan. If this happened, very soon enemy tanks would be driving through the streets of Tel Aviv.

But by 8 o'clock in the morning, the Israeli tankers in the Golan knew that they needed to prepare for battle. And by midday the tanks were ready to meet the enemy with dignity. On the side of Syria was numerical superiority, the effect of surprise, night vision devices, strong support for artillery and aviation. On the side of Israel - only 200 tanks (6 times less than the Syrians) and 4,500 soldiers (7 times less than the enemy). And on the side of Israel there was an ardent desire to protect the Country. And Syria failed to achieve any "one-day breakthrough".

Valley of Tears.

The Israeli reservists arrived too quickly and Syria's losses were surprisingly large. As if she was fighting not with the border garrison, but with the full might of the Israel Defense Forces. And where were the Syrian night vision devices? When 30 tanks at midnight were attacked by a single Israeli, led by Lieutenant Zvi Gringold? He approached the enemy very close (he had nothing with night vision!), Fired and changed position. It seemed to the Syrians that it was a whole compound at work! And they retreated under fire from the Tzviki Detachment of two tankmen - Gringold and his mechanic.

The struggle was for every meter of land. The fighting near Mount Bental was especially fierce. The village of Quneitra, where the Syrian forces were concentrated, was completely destroyed.

On October 8, the invaders' attack failed. Already 10 they were knocked out for the Purple Line, drawn during the Six Day War.

After the incident, the valley under the mountain was nicknamed the Valley of Tears. There, near the village of El Rum, there are still dead tanks. On the battlefield: semi-filled ditches, anti-tank hedgehogs, coils of barbed wire. On - a war memorial. The preserved defensive structures and observation deck. On the way up the mountain, you are met by funny iron freaks. These sculptures are made from the wreckage of combat vehicles left after the fighting. Written by Dutchman Jupp de Jong from Kibbutz Merom Golan.

Merom Golan is the first kibbutz based in the Golan after the Six Day War. It is now a peaceful and picturesque village-style tourist center with a pool, jeep and ATV rides and a meat restaurant.