Netanyahu: Israel is changing the Middle East

Israel is already “changing” the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday, noting that he spoke with US President-elect Donald Trump about the need to “complete the victory.”

This comes as the Israeli occupation government approved a plan to boost “population growth” in the illegal settlements located in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, with a budget of more than 40 million shekels (about $11.2 million). The decision coincides with the escalation in Israel’s attacks on Syria following the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime.

A statement issued by the Israeli government said that the plan comes in light of “security developments and the new front with Syria,” and it aims to double the number of settlers in the occupied Syrian Golan. It also includes “funding projects in the fields of education and renewable energy, in addition to establishing a student village and programmes to support the Golan Regional Council to accommodate new settlers.”

Netanyahu said: “A year ago, I said something simple: We would change the face of the Middle East, and we are indeed doing so. Syria is not the same Syria. Lebanon is not the same Lebanon. Gaza is not the same Gaza. And the head of the axis, Iran, is not the same Iran; it has also felt the might of our arm.”

“We are working today forcefully and with due consideration in order to have security regarding all the countries of the region and in order to have stability and security on all of our borders,” he added.

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