Israel to Open Occupied Syrian Land for Passover Tours
IDF Greenlights Civilian Access to Buffer Zone in Golan Amid Backlash Over Expanding Presence Beyond Border
Watan-The Israeli occupation army has decided to allow Israeli tourists to enter occupied Syrian territory during the upcoming Jewish Passover holiday (Pesach), which begins in about ten days. The military will open the border fence it controls at two specific sections that lead to the buffer zone on the side that was previously under Syrian control.
This move will allow two “educational” institutes—Midreshet HaGolan and Midreshet Keshet Yonatan—to organize tours in the Wadi ar-Raqqad area, a stream that originates in the Golan Heights and is considered a tributary of the Yarmouk River.
According to an announcement published on the Hebrew-language site Kippah, which primarily targets the religious-nationalist (settler) public, the two institutes, “in cooperation with the IDF Northern Command and Division 210, invite the public to participate for the first time in tours of Wadi ar-Raqqad, located beyond the Israeli–Syrian border… Until a few months ago, only a handful of Israelis had the chance to visit the valley.” The tours, according to the invitation, will take place “during the Passover holiday, with two rounds daily: one in the morning and another in the afternoon.”
IDF Cites Bashan Arrow to Justify Tours in Occupied Syria
The organizers clarified that “thanks to Operation Bashan Arrow in Syrian territory (i.e., the Israeli incursion into Syria), the opportunity is now available to the broader public.”
Meanwhile, the Hebrew-language Maariv news site reported confirmation from the IDF Northern Command that the border fence will be opened at two points to carry out the tours. However, the report claims that “the area where citizens will be touring is defined as part of Israeli territory, and participants will move between the fence and the UN-marked boundary lines.” In other words, the IDF Northern Command insists the fence is within Israeli territory—though in reality, this is occupied Syrian land.
The report noted that officials in the Northern Command apparently haven’t learned from the death of Zeev Ehrlich, an Israeli settler and self-proclaimed historian and archaeologist, who was killed in November 2024 after being permitted to enter a combat zone in southern Lebanon. That same incident also led to the death of Givati Brigade soldier Gur Kahati, and injuries to two officers. The decision to allow Ehrlich into the combat area alongside soldiers remains under investigation by the military police.
