Bennett: World must recognise Golan as Israeli

Leader of the right-wing Israeli Jewish Home Party Naftali Bennett called for the “free world” to recognise the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, Arab48.com reported yesterday.

While addressing a security conference at Herzliya, near Tel-Aviv, Bennett called for intensifying Jewish settlement to reach 100,000 Jews in the area within five years. “I call on the international community… to recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan,” he said.

He reiterated that it is the right time to reinforce settlements in the Golan, citing the ongoing turmoil in the region. “We will not have a better chance,” he said, “this is a Zionist and security activity at one time… There are no opportunities in the Middle East for the weak.”

Bennett, who is the Israeli education minister, asked who Israel should handover the Golan Heights to.

“Who would you like us to give the Golan Heights to? To [Syrian President Bashar] Assad? To [Al-Qaeda affiliate] Al-Nusra Front? To the Islamic State group? To [Lebanon’s] Hezbollah?” AFP reported him saying.

Regarding boycott campaigns, he said: “Our response is clear… Orange’s case is a good example and represents a turning point. It is the first time that Israel and its supporters open fire. In the wake of action by Israel and its lovers, Jews and non-Jews, we have seen the full retreat made by Orange.”

He added: “Let it be clear to any company or organization that is considering boycotting us: We will hit back. We will attack our attackers. We will boycott our boycotters.”

Israel occupied the Golan Heights from Syria in 1981 and began building settlements there. Recently, it started to search for oil in the area.