Here is the latest news about the reaction on the Golan Heights to the attendance of the Syrian deputy foreign minister at the Annapolis conference: a new leisure resort park has been established near the Amir Junction, the new B’not Yaakov bridge has been completed, work on road 98 from the Magshimim Junction to the Bashan Junction is close to completion, an entrepreneurial course for women in the Golan has opened up, a new course to train the area’s community leaders kicked off, a new population absorption campaign has been launched, new playgrounds have been built in several communities, and the municipal pools in several communities finally closed after a long, hot summer. In the community of Hadnes near the Sea of Galilee overlooking the Jordan Valley, 150 housing units have been made available to eager residents, with the option of building two guest lodges per property to give the homeowner an extra source of income and encourage tourism to the area.
Residents of the Golan Heights can be forgiven for not getting too excited about talk of returning the Golan to Syria and a resumption of the Syrian-Israeli track – they’ve heard it before, at several peace conferences during the past few decades.
