Israel green-lights plan to expand Golan settlements

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Netanyahu administration has green-lighted a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights.

With the opening up of a new front on Israel's border with Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime, Netanyahu said, the settlement expansion had become essential.

The BBC quoted the Israeli leader as saying he wanted to double the population of the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state illegally occupied in1967.

Days after the ouster of the Assad government, Israeli forces moved into a buffer zone separating the Golan Heights from Syria.

But in a statement on Sunday evening, the Israeli leader said his country had "no interest in a conflict with Syria". Israel would continue to hold on to [the territory], he added.

In a phone call on Sunday, Netanyahu and US president-elect Donald Trump spoke about the need for Israel’s victory on Hamas in Gaza.

They also conferred on the need to bring home the remaining hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu was quoted as saying by CNN.

Hamas and other groups are reportedly holding 100 hostages in Gaza, including seven Americans.

PAN Monitor/mud