Syria condemns Israel’s plans to expand Golan settlements

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria has called Israel’s plans to double the number of settlers living in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights “dangerous and unprecedented.” It said on Monday the plans only perpetuate Israel’s occupation of the territory it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday a multimillion-dollar plan meant to double the number of settlers living in the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria. The U.S. recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan in 2019. The rest of the international community regards the territory as Israeli occupied. Entrenching Israeli control over the territory would complicate any future attempt to forge peace with Syria.