Dozens of Syrian Druze demonstrated on Saturday in the Golan Heights against the decision of the United States President Donald Trump to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied region. Last week, Trump said that it is the time for American recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, in a move that ended decades of US policy regarding never-ending crises, such as the Golan Heights. The US -as well as- the international community used to call the region as the "occupied Golan Heights". Israel occupied the Golan Heights in 1967 following its victory over the Egyptian and Syrian militaries. In 1981, Israel annexed the territory in a move which is not internationally recognised. The Druze community is divided between three countries: 800,000 people living in Syria, of whom 22,000 in the Golan Heights, Lebanon (450,000), and Israel (120,000). In November 2018, Israel had run a municipal election for the first time in the Golan Heights since occupying the Syrian region 50 years ago. The region is very important for Israel as more than one-third of Israel's water supply comes from the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights offers access to two major water systems: the drainage basin of the Jordan river and its tributaries to the west, and Lake Tiberias and the Yarmuk river to the south. The Syrian region has also over 200 springs and scores of streams, many of which are impounded by Israel in reservoirs for its settler use.
