Syrians strike in protest against Israel wind turbines

Syrians in the occupied Golan Heights held a general strike yesterday to protest against the construction of an Israeli wind turbine project in the area, Arab48 reported.

The Syrians gathered in Al-Yaafouri Square near the village of Majdal Shams to express their anger against the Israeli project which exploits the Arab lands.

According to the Arabi Observatory of Human Rights in the Golan Heights, the Israeli occupation is planning to raise its electricity production from 27 megawatts to 730 megawatts by placing 52 wind turbines in the area, at a height of each is 200 metres each.

Activist Dr Nasser Munther said that the company which is carrying out the project convinced 31 farmers to rent their land to it by telling them it is an environmentally friendly project.

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However, Munther said, senior researchers from the Institute of Applied Sciences found that the project is harmful to the environment, to the residents and to the future of farming and tourism.

He also said that the community could persuade most of the people who rented their lands to cancel their contracts, but the outstanding problem was how to deal with a penalty of doing so. A legal committee is working on overcoming such measures, he added.