Israeli data: 47% of residents of the occupied Golan hold Israeli citizenship

Israeli data reveals that 47% of residents of the four Syrian villages in the occupied Golan hold Israeli citizenship, a significant increase since the beginning of 2025, coinciding with the opening of an Israeli office in Mas'ade to encourage naturalization.

Israeli data reveals that 47% of residents of the four Syrian villages in the occupied Golan hold Israeli citizenship, a significant increase since the beginning of 2025. According to a report published by Haaretz on Sunday, based on data from the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority, the number of citizenship holders in Majdal Shams, Mas'ade, Buq'ata, and Ein Qiniyye reached 12,269 out of 26,154 residents as of October 31 last year. More than 6,040 people have obtained citizenship since the beginning of 2025, about half of all holders in the four villages. This coincides with the opening of the Population and Immigration Authority's first office in Mas'ade last Monday, attended by religious leaders from the four villages, after decades of widespread opposition to Israeli naturalization in the occupied Golan. The roots of this opposition go back to the occupation of the Golan in 1967 and its annexation and imposition of Israeli law in December 1981, when residents rejected attempts to impose citizenship and burned ID cards, affirming their Syrian identity. Religious authorities at the time led opposition to Israeli measures and imposed social and religious boycotts on those who violated their stance, which lasted for decades.