Minister of the Interior Ronnie Bar-On
צילום: אתר הכנסת
Minister of interior: Investment in Golan forever
Ronnie Bar-On calls on Israelis to make Golan Heights their home during visit to area, which Israel annexed in 1981
While the government has not yet decided on how to respond to peace overtures by Syrian President Bashar Assad, Minister of the Interior Ronnie Bar-On signaled the direction.
During a visit to the Golan Heights on Wednesday, Bar-On called on the Israeli public to make the picturesque hills their home. "He who speaks of concessions in the Golan Heights doesn't know what he is talking about," he said.
"Talk of concessions in the Golan Heights are a blow to the defense wall which was set up by the international community and Israel is against the axis of evil which passes through Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas," he said.
Bar-On told this Ynet reporter during the visit: "I said in the past, I am saying this again. When I tour this area I see the development of the Israeli settlements, tourism projects which draw foreigners and locals, I see businessmen coming here to invest. We are not developing things like this here in something that will not be an investment forever."
"Next year we will celebrate 40 years since the liberation of this stretch of land. This is an irreversible reality. The Golan Heights is an irreversible Israeli reality. My opinion has only strengthened throughout the visit that we need to reinforce Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights," he said.
He added that he saw housing projects being built on the Syrian side of the Golan, saying Israel should do the same.
