The Golan Heights is home to 24,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam and also live in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Israel captured most of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981. The U.S. views it as Israeli territory, but most countries classify it as occupied.

Announcement comes as Israeli politicians lambast Syrian transitional government for reported mass killings, urge European states to 'wake up' and stop granting regime legitimacy

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that it will permit Syrian Druze workers to enter the disputed Golan Heights territory from Syria, although no timeline has been provided for when permits will start being issued.

Technically, there is no clear international law basis for Israel to remain in Syria indefinitely, such that an Israeli argument that its extended presence in Syria benefits the local Syrians could also help in debates over the legitimacy over the IDF presence there.

After a report first published in i24NEWS, Israel Katz confirmed that Druze would be allowed to enter Israel for work • An aid package will also go to Druze and Circassian communities in Israel

The post Katz says Israel will soon allow Syrian Druze to enter Israel for work in the Golan Heights appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Israel is preparing to "soon" allow Syrian Druze to work in the Golan Heights, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday."We will soon allow Druze workers from Syria to work in the Golan Heights communities in Israel,