Occupied Golan Uprising: Syrians Confront ‘Israeli’ Forces after Preventing Them from Reaching Their Lands

By Staff, Agencies

Dozens of residents and landowners of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights were injured Wednesday during confrontations with the “Israeli” occupation forces who prevented the landowners from reaching their farms.

Witnesses said eight people were arrested, including Sheikh Salman Faris Shams, as the occupation forces cordoned off the area and prevented ambulances from reaching the wounded, who were evacuated by private vehicles.

Activists in the occupied Syrian Golan declared Wednesday a general strike and a day of rage in the villages of Majdal Shams, Baqatha, Masada and Ain Qinya, in response to the “arbitrary and criminal” measures of the occupation authorities.

The activists stressed in a statement that the “arbitrary and criminal measures against us and our lands make us determined on our right decision and our firm position,” calling on the residents to gather on Wednesday at the Al-Yafouri shrine to be a starting point to march toward the besieged lands.

Earlier on Tuesday, the occupation forces assaulted the residents who protested in defense of their agricultural lands threatened with confiscation for the wind turbines project after representatives of the “Israeli” company responsible for the project, backed by police forces, stormed the lands.

The installation of giant turbines in the villages of the Golan comes following a decision by the occupation government in this regard and the approval of the “Israeli” planning authorities.

The Golan residents assert that installing the turbines will impede the cultivation of their lands nearby and will be an environmental hazard. The “Israeli” courts had previously rejected the residents' petition against the construction of the turbines.