The Dispute of the Golan Heights/The Final Borders of Middle-East countries
The Golan Heights is a territory located in the most north-eastern part of what is currently the State of Israel. The Golan was given to Syria according to the French mandate borders in 1924. After the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli war and the establishment of Israel, tension revolving around the Golan rose.
In response to Israeli provocations, Syria dropped shell bombs on nearby Israeli settlements and thus killed 140 civilians between 1949 until 1967. In the Six Day War (1967), Israel took control of the Golan Heights, forcing over 90% of the Arab population to flee their homes. Soon after, Israelis began settling in the Golan. During the Yom Kippur War (1973), Israeli counter attacks against Syria took even more land extending from the Golan Heights. These lands, and several demilitarized zones, were yielded back to Syria, in accordance with a ceasefire agreement.
Since the war with Hezbollah in 2006, tensions between Israel and Syria have been rising. The unauthorized infiltration of Israeli aircrafts into Syria, and the mysterious buildings in Syria that were being observed by those aircrafts, have stimulated speculation on both sides. Fears are growing of the possibility of further conflict in the region. The UN has peacekeeping forces monitoring the Golan Heights both on the Israeli-Syrian border and in Jerusalem. The Annapolis meeting in November 2007, and promise for further talks on the Golan, may not be enough to settle the sixty year conflict, and so the UN must try to find a way to bring a firm peace to the Middle East countries.
