(Opinion) The southern Syria occupation is advancing without any grand announcement, one instalment at a time. No massive tank assault, no formal annexation; just a raid on a village one day, a shell on a field the next, a young man detained the day after. Figures released by the UN Human Rights Office on Friday confirm this quiet advance.
Southern Syria occupation: the numbers speak
According to SANA, the UN documented some 280 armed Israeli incursions in September alone, the highest monthly total this year. At least 49 Syrians are in Israeli custody, and released detainees describe beatings and dogs being set on them. On October 4, Israeli forces resumed excavation and land-levelling along the so-called “Sufa 53 Line” in southern Quneitra. Middle East Eye reported a fresh raid on the village of Rasm al-Haydarah early on Saturday.
Read More: Israeli Forces Expand Operations in Syria’s Quneitra Governorate
Beyond statements
The Security Council unanimously reaffirmed the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and Syria’s territorial integrity on Thursday, and Damascus welcomed it. But can statements on paper halt trenches being dug on the ground? Qatar told the UN this week that the credibility of the international legal system depends on how its rules are enforced. The same test applies to southern Syria. In our view, the Muslim and Arab world must move beyond condemnation and use the UN’s own documented findings to press, diplomatically and legally, for the release of detainees, an independent investigation and a full Israeli withdrawal. Otherwise, occupation by instalments will harden into a permanent fact.
Sources: SANA, Middle East Eye, Gulf Times
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