CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL A CUFI PRIMER: The Strait of ... · At the rebirth of Israel in 1948...
Transcript of CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL A CUFI PRIMER: The Strait of ... · At the rebirth of Israel in 1948...
InBriefTheGolanHeights isaplateaucontrolledby Israel thatbordersLebanon,Syriaand Jordan.Thearea isofgreatstrategicimportanceasitiseffec?velythehighgroundinthearea.
TheGolanHeightsoverlooksIsraelitownsandagriculturalcenters,and its topography – specifically to where Israel’s line of controlextends - would significantly hamper the ability of modernconven?onal armed forces to invade Israel. In addi?on, theterritoryoverlookstheSeaofGalilee,asignificantwatersourceforIsrael.
Perhaps most importantly, Israel’s control of the Golan HeightsdeniestheJewishstate’senemiestheability–astheyhadforyears– to shell Israeli civilians livingandworkingbeneath the territoryinsideIsraelproper.
CUFIsupportsAmericanrecogni?onofIsraelisovereigntyovertheGolanHeights.
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Israel’sWarofIndependenceAttherebirthofIsraelin1948theGolanHeightswerecontrolledbySyria.independence,theGolanHeightswerepartlydemilitarizedbytheIsrael-SyriaArmis?ceAgreement.
In the period aSer the 1948war,with Syria controlling the strategic plateau, thehighergroundthiswasusedtoshellIsraelifarmersintheareasbelow.IntheperiodbetweentheIsrael’sWarof Independenceandthe1967Six-DayWar,theSyriansconstantlyharassed Israeliborder communi?esbyfiringar?llery shells from theirdominantposi?onsontheGolanHeights.InOctober1966
Israelbrought themaYerupbefore theUnitedNa?ons.Fivena?onssponsoredaresolu?oncri?cizingSyriaforitsac?onsbutitfailedtopassduetoaSovietveto.Inaddi?ontonumerousborderskirmishesthattookplacebetweenIsraeliandSyrianforces, in early 1965with the support of the Syrian regime, Pales?nian terroristsbeganconduc?ngraidsintoIsraelfromtheGolanHeights.
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SixDayWarAt theoutbreakof theSix-DayWar, Syrian shelling intensifiedagainst Israeli civilian targets. Toprotect itsci?zens in theHulaValley and repel the Syrian aYack, Israeli forces captured theGolan. Thefigh?ngwaschallengingandIsraellost115soldiers,withanother305woundedintheefforttocapturetheterritory.Thearea that cameunder Israeli control as a result of thewar consists of twogeologically dis?nct areas: theGolanHeightsproper,withasurfaceof410squaremiles,andtheslopesoftheMt.Hermonrange,withasurfaceof39squaremiles.
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TheStraitofHormuz
CH R I S T I A N S U N I T E D F O R I S R A E L
ACUFIPRIMER:
YomKippurWar In1973whenEgyp?anandSyrian forces launchedacoordinatedsurpriseaYackonYomKippur, themostsolemndayoftheJewishcalendar,SyrianforceswereabletooverrunmostofthesouthernGolanHeights.Theywouldeventuallybepushedbackbyan IsraelicounteraYackwith Israelregainingtheterritory ithadlostattheini?aloutbreakofthewar.IsraelandSyriasignedaceasefireagreementin1974thatleSalmostalloftheHeightsinIsraelihands.
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SyrianCivilWar SincetheoutbreakoftheSyrianCivilWarin2011,theeasternGolanHeights,s?llunderSyria’scontrol,was
turned in toabaYlefieldwith frequentclashesbetweentheSyrianArmyandAl-Nusra, ISIS and its related fac?ons as well as a plethora of other terrorgroups figh?ng for control in Syria. In previous years, figh?ng between theSyrianArmyandforcesopposedtoSyrianPresidentBasharAlAssadhassome?messpilledovertheborderwitherrantfirelandingintheIsraelicontrolledGolanHeights.
With the Iranian involvement in Syria’s civil war to boost Assad’s forces, Israel is now presented with asitua?onwhereIranianandIranian-backedforcessitnearIsrael’sborderontheGolanHeights.Withthewarreachingitsconclusion,andAssadallbutcertainlystayinginpower,theIranianpresenceinSyriaremainsaseriousthreattoIsrael’ssecurity.
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Conclusion AlreadyfacedwithHamasinGaza,andHezbollahinLebanon,IsraelmustnowcontendwithanIranianregime,thathasbeenpatrontobothterroristgroups, increasing itsdirectpresenceinSyria.
Iran’spresencehascreatedsupplylinesallowingtheregimetosupply Hezbollah with more sophis?cated and deadlyweapons, intended for one purpose: the murder of Israelis.While the situa?onal assessment is disconcer?ng, Israel s?llcontrols the higher ground of the Golan Heights, includingMountHermon.
In addi?on, while Russia has discussed the status of IranianforcesneartheGolanwiththeIsraeligovernment,theKremlinhasshownthatithasneitherthewillnorabilitytopushbackIranianforcesfromthisstrategicloca?on.Assuch,recogni?onofIsraelisovereigntyovertheGolanHeightssendsnotonlyanimportantmessagetoTehranbuttoMoscowaswell.
Fundamentally, any scenariowhere Israel is not in control ofthis territory would be untenable. Hos?le forces bent on Israel’swholesale
destruc?on would be looking down into Israel with thestrategichighgroundenablingthemtotargetinnocentIsraelisjustastheydidpriortothe1967SixDayWar.
Couplingthisconven?onalthreatwiththefactthatSyria’sdictatorhashadnoqualmswithusingchemicalweaponsonhisownpeople,itissimplyinconceivablethatIsraelcouldeverrelinquishcontroloftheGolanHeights.
WhatYouNeedToKnow
- TheGolanHeightsareastrategicallyvitalplateauthatbordersSyria,LebanonandJordan.
- Priorto1967,whenIsraelcapturedtheGolanHeightsfromSyria,theterritorywasusedtoshellinnocentIsraelisbelowandPalesJnianterroristsuseditasastaginggroundforaKacks.
- ThebrutalityofSyrianPres.BasharAssad,includingtheuseofchemicalweaponsagainsthisownpeople,andtheIranianpresenceinSyria,makeclearthattransferringtheGolanHeightstothelikesofAssadwouldenableamassmurderertoreignterrordownoninnocentIsraelis.