Golan Subdistrict
Disputed subdistrict in northern Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Golan Subdistrict is an area administered by Israel as a subdistrict of the Northern District. The subdistrict encompasses the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel from Syria since the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed under the Golan Heights Law. The region is internationally recognized to encompass Syria's Quneitra Governorate, which itself is composed of two districts and five subdistricts.
Golan Subdistrict
נפת גולן قضاء الجولان | |
|---|---|
Subdistrict | |
 Northern District in blue, with Golan Subdistrict in dark blue | |
 Interactive map of Golan Subdistrict | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Northern District |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,154 km2 (446 sq mi) |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
• Total | 48,100 |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Jews and others | 47.6% |
| • Arabs | 52.4% |
Towns and administration
The largest city in the subdistrict is the Druze town of Majdal Shams, with a population of circa 11.5 thousand. The largest Israeli settlement in the subdistrict is the town of Katzrin, with a population of c. 8 thousand.
Most localities in the subdistrict are organized as part of the Golan Regional Council, with the exception of six towns which are run as separate local councils. These are Katzrin, the four Druze towns - Buq'ata, Ein Qiniyye, Majdal Shams and Mas'ade -, and the southern part of the Alawite town of Ghajar.
History
Historically Syrian territory, Israel occupied the area in 1967 as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War.
On December 14, 1981, the Israeli Knesset passed the Golan Heights Law, applying Israeli laws to the territory and creating the Golan subdistrict as an administrative body.
On March 25, 2019, the United States officially recognized the Golan Heights as being under the sovereignty of Israel. Israeli officials lobbied the United States into recognizing "Israeli sovereignty" over the territory.[2]
Demography
The population consists mainly of Israeli Jews, Druze (see Status of Druze in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Druze in Syria), and the Alawites of Ghajar.
