Territory Security
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Israel's oil drilling in Golan criticised
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Drilling
for oil in occupied Golan is part of a larger plan to increase Israeli
settlement activity, rights groups say.
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Israeli oil and gas company, Afek, has been granted a license to drill
for oil in annexed Golan Heights [Getty Images]
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Southern Golan Heights - Heavily
subsidised Jewish-only settlements, large Israeli military areas and tanks
dot the rolling green hills in this part of the Golan Heights; Syrian
territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.
In addition to the ubiquitous signs warning of
landmines, remnants of Syrian life are everywhere; bombed-out homes,
dilapidated schools, crumbling hospitals. Most of the region's indigenous
Syrians - an estimated 90,000 Christians, Muslims and Druze - were expelled
from the 70 percent of the Golan Heights under Israeli control.
Today, only some 20,000 Syrian Druze live in six
villages still standing in the territory, while more than 21,000 Israeli
settlers reside in dozens of Jewish-only colonies built atop villages
demolished after the war.
It is here that Afek Oil and Gas, an Israeli
company, has been granted exclusive license to conduct exploratory drilling
for oil. Afek is a subsidiary of Genie Energy Limited, a New Jersey-based
company for which former US Vice President Dick Cheney is an adviser.
On September 11, Afek won approval to conduct
exploratory drilling in 10 possible locations throughout the Syrian
territory. Shortly thereafter, the Israeli High Court froze Afek's efforts
due to a petition submitted by environmental activists. The petition remains
undecided.
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