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The Moral Case for Recognizing Jewish Sovereignty on the Golan Heights
(Times of Israel) Noam A. Rotem - The name Golan appears for the first time in the Bible in the book of Deuteronomy as allocated to the tribe of Menashe. The Hasmonean King of Judea Alexander Jannaeus conquered the Golan in the first century BCE, and settled the city of Gamla. The remains of the synagogue in Gamla is thought to date from the late first century BCE. In the days of the Mishna and the Talmud (200-500 CE), many Jewish communities existed in the Golan, as evidenced by the writings of the Jewish sages and backed by archaeological findings. From the beginning of Ottoman rule in 1300 until the middle of the 19th century, the Golan was mostly a desolate frontier region ruled by Bedouin tribes. At the end of the 19th century, several attempts were made by Jews to resettle in the Golan, including on lands purchased by Baron Rothschild. At the start of the Six-Day War, the Syrians shelled the Hula Valley and the town of Rosh Pina, and Syrian tanks tried to advance toward Kibbutz Dan. In the last days of the war, the Israeli government decided to conquer the Golan Heights and put an end to the threat of Syrian shelling.