Israeli troops mark Hanukkah in occupied Syria
Photos have emerged of Israeli troops lighting Hanukkah candles in the occupied territories of Syria as well the West Bank and Gaza, as reported by the Middle East Eye and agencies on December 15th.
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light, is commonly marked by the lighting of the menorah, which is what Israeli troops were pictured participating in while stationed on Syria’s Mount Hermon on December 14th.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8th, 2024, Israeli forces seized the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian troops.
Mount Hermon is situated within the Golan Heights and is a strategic location for Israeli forces as it overlooks Damascus; in January 2025, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that Israel would maintain its military presence on Mount Hermon indefinitely.
The Golan Heights has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, when it was captured during the Six-Day War. An estimated 25,000 Israelis reside within the territory, which was formally annexed by Israel in 1981.
Two-thirds of the territory is occupied by Israel, while the majority of the Golan Heights’ residents have refused Israeli citizenship, with only 20% accepting the offer since 2018.
The images of Israeli troops lighting the menorah in Syria emerged just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would keep the seized Syrian territory, during a meeting with Israeli ambassadors.
It was reported that on November 19th Netanyahu had visited Israeli troops stationed in occupied Syria, despite Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa urging for Israeli withdrawal from Syria.
It was reported on December 4th, that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution stating that Israel must withdraw from the Golan Heights.
Some view the Golan Heights as a part of Israeli territory due to the “Greater Israel” plan, which envisions Israel expanding its borders to fully occupy the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Syria’s Golan Heights and parts of Jordan.
In August, Netanyahu proclaimed he was on a “historic and spiritual mission” to fulfil the Greater Israel project, despite objections from countries opposed to Israeli territorial expansion.
Middle East Eye and agencies, Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
