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Two-thirds of the Golan Heights - 1200/1800 sq km have been controlled by Israel. There are 25000 Arabs (nearly all Druze) as well as about 25000 Israelis living there.

There is a lot of media coverage, concerning the situations for Palestinians in the West Bank, within Israel proper and within Gaza. Some will even point out the differences between area A and area C administration in the West Bank.

Depending on one's viewpoint, the situation for Palestinians will be described as either "catastrophic", or the "best Israel can do". Either way, there is no lack of information about Israeli administration.

In contrast, we hear very little media coverage about the Golan Heights. How does the Israeli control and administration, concerning non-Jewish residents, compare to say that of the West Bank? My understanding, among other things, is that Druze can apply for Israeli citizenship if they choose to. After the recent Hezbullah strike that left 12 children dead, media coverage didn't seem very clear about locals' sentiments and perception of Israel.

p.s. This is request for information about an area that we hear little about. No more, no less. The international community in general does not recognize the annexation of the Golan, but it is also not difficult to understand the military rationale for occupying high ground of such strategic value when it belongs to Syria, a state Israeli is still technically at war with. So this question is not supporting, or objecting to, Israeli control, merely asking how residents are affected.

p.p.s. I also understand that in 1967 a larger population of Syrian Arabs either fled the area, was evacuated or was chased out. This question is only asking about the effect on those who stayed behind.

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Nobody likes getting hit with missiles, so discussing that is a bit too obvious. The Times of Israel has a long piece discussing the feeling/attitudes of the Druze in the Golan vs other parts of north Israel. My TLDR summary: the Druze in the Golan were slower to warm up to Israeli citizenship, and some still dig Assad, but after the civil war in Syria hardly any Golan Druze use the perks that Assad allows for them, e.g. free higher education (in Syria) etc. OTOH, they [the Golan Druze] still mostly shun Israeli elections.

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  • Well, I only cited the after-strike coverage as an example of a) infrequent coverage and b) one that did not really have much to say about Israel and the locals get along outside of missile strike aftermaths. First time I've seen that area covered in decades, though the territory, if not its people, gets talked about more in the general context of Israel-Syria relations.
    – Italian Philosopher
    Commented Aug 12 at 21:13
  • I would guess that Assad's recent excesses make Israel look a lot better nowadays. There is a section about GH Druze in wikipedia, though it does not go into details of the Israeli admin. If the Druze religion is seen as heathens by some Muslims, then they could be safer in Israel.
    – Italian Philosopher
    Commented Aug 13 at 17:17
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    @ItalianPhilosophers4Monica every religion is safe in Israel, including religions that are openly anti-Zionist. Unfortunately same cannot be said for the rest of the Middle East...
    – JonathanReez
    Commented Aug 13 at 23:31
  • @JonathanReez Neturei Karta can't precisely be called anti-Zionist; they share many of the same goals as Zionism - full individual and collective rights for the Jewish people in their national ancestral homeland. They only disapprove of the methods and timing. Einat Wilf refers to them as "Zionists later".
    – Zev Spitz
    Commented Aug 14 at 19:56
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    I really meant this question to examine more "what Israel was up to" rather than "how the Druze feel about it". While your answer concentrates on the Druze sentiment, there are some indicators in the linked article about how Druze are treated which make it seem their lot is more comparable to Israeli Arabs than West Bank Palestinians. First, the offer of citizenship. Second, the interviewed woman's decision to get Israeli citizenship seems more tied to travel abroad reasons than constraints as a Druze-only resident. Mentioning that would be more in line with what this Q is about.
    – Italian Philosopher
    Commented Aug 14 at 21:23
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The Druze are (relatively) well off, so you don't hear much about them

As of 2023, Israel's GDP per capita stands at $52,000, while Palestine's is approximately $4,000. The median monthly salary in Israel is $3,430, compared to around $800 in Palestine. Israel's unemployment rate is below 4% as of 2024, while Palestine's is approximately 35%.

Residents of the Golan Heights have the option to apply for Israeli citizenship, and even those without citizenship have access to the Israeli labor market. Compared to the plight of the Palestinians, this allows for a higher standard of living, including better housing, transportation, and travel opportunities. In contrast, the vast majority of Palestinians struggle financially, which is further exacerbated by infrastructure issues such as electricity and water shortages in the West Bank and Gaza.

Travel restrictions also impact Palestinians, as their passports are not widely recognized internationally, limiting their visa-free access to just 40 countries compared to 171 countries for Israeli citizens. And, naturally, even traveling to those 40 countries (or applying for visas) is financially infeasible for most Palestinians as a result of their financial distress.

Economic disparities strongly influence one's perspective on political issues. Those with full financial stability have different priorities compared to those struggling economically. It's easy to be convinced to vote for Hamas or Fatah if you're barely able to put food on the table for your family. It's much harder to convince the Druze to support extremists, as they have better things to do in life, such as traveling to Cyprus or renovating their new house.

This is why you don't hear much about them. They're (relatively) well off, have a low unemployment rate, frequently serve in the IDF, and have representatives in the Knesset. Journalists aren't interested in an "average Adam" who drives a new Toyota, votes for a centrist party, and doesn't participate in protests.

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    Golan Heights have no apparent relation to Palestine so I'm not sure why that's basis for comparison.
    – alamar
    Commented Aug 13 at 20:27
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    @alamar it does, they're another region that Israel has control over but which is not internationally recognized. Main difference is that Israel has 100% control and integration of the Golan heights but not of Palestine, so the Palestinians can't get themselves a Porsche Cayenne. The guy driving a Porsche has better things to do than worry about "independence", he's got a flight to catch to Bali instead.
    – JonathanReez
    Commented Aug 13 at 22:20
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    While at some level better-than-Middle-East governance - not a high bar - is quite likely taking place, this Porsche Cayenne thing seems quite unsourced, in the absence of income stats for Druze GH residents - as opposed to the general Israeli public. It is common, in other parts of the world to see regional and ethnic income disparities and you've referenced little to indicate whether or not this is the case with Druze residents. Whom I doubt are driving new $100K SUVs and vacationing in Tahiti. i.e. more sourcing much appreciated.
    – Italian Philosopher
    Commented Aug 14 at 0:32
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    @JonathanReez Maybe read this? timesofisrael.com/… : The average monthly gross income of a Jewish household in 2021 was 1.6 times that of an Arab home, the CBS said. Come on, let's be realistic. Do you necessarily expect full income parity from a remote area with a different socio-economic group? I did not vote on this A either way, having invited an answer, but better sourcing is much needed.
    – Italian Philosopher
    Commented Aug 14 at 1:17
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    Are you really suggesting that the typical resident of the Golan Heights drives around in a luxury car? I have never been to that area, but judging by the numbers you posted, it doesn't sound much more affluent than Western Europe. And I can assure you there aren't nearly that many Porsche Cayennes in and around Amsterdam, so people still do worry about politics and stuff. So this answer seems to be ridiculously hyperbolic. Perhaps if you toned that down significantly, it might become a useful answer.
    – TooTea
    Commented Aug 14 at 8:21

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