Israel Opens Population Registry Office in Golan Heights Villages
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
Israel's Population and Immigration Authority opened its first office in the Golan Heights village of Masada. This follows a surge in Israeli citizenship applications from local Druze residents, with 6,040 applying since January 2025. The increase is partly linked to regional events and comes 45 years after residents protested Israeli rule by burning their identity cards. Currently, 47% of residents in four key villages hold Israeli citizenship.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel opened its first population registry office in the Golan Heights village of Masada.
- 6,040 people have applied for Israeli citizenship since January 2025, a significant increase.
- The rise in applications is partly attributed to the fall of Assad and the Sweida massacre.
- 47% of residents in four Golan Heights villages held Israeli citizenship as of October 31.
- The office opening occurs 45 years after Druze villagers protested Israeli rule by burning identity cards.
The Population and Immigration Authority has opened its first office in the Druze villages of the Golan Heights, specifically in Masada, following a significant surge in applications for Israeli citizenship. This move comes after a period of protest in the early 1980s when residents burned their blue identity cards to demonstrate against Israeli rule. Nearly 45 years later, the authority established a branch in the region, a location chosen due to a recent increase in naturalization requests from residents of Majdal Shams, Masada, Buqata, and Ein Qiniya. As of October 31, 47% of the residents in these villages held Israeli citizenship. The number of individuals seeking Israeli citizenship has dramatically increased, with 6,040 people applying since January 2025. This figure is more than double the total number of applicants from the entire previous decade, a rise partly attributed to events such as the fall of Assad and the massacre in Sweida.