The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have detained around 100 activists from the HaBashan Pioneers settler movement after they crossed the border from the Israeli-Syrian buffer zone to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, the group announced on Sunday. The military confirmed the incident later on Sunday, saying it „strongly condemns the attempted crossing.”.
The activists claimed that the IDF used „severe force” in their detention and confiscated their phones, despite the group members remaining „completely passive.”.
The group, which claims to have crossed the border „many times in the past,” wants to establish an Israeli settlement in the area. They stressed that „only settlement” can solidify Israeli control, highlighting the importance of the IDF presence in the area.
The movement said their actions came amid attempted attacks by Syrian terrorists on Israeli communities in the Golan Heights, including those inside the buffer zone. „The events are part of the slow but consistent deterioration and erosion of Israeli control by terrorists and the hostile population,” HaBashan claimed.
„Israel intends to stay”
The statement said the group had deliberately positioned itself in a mountainous area to make evacuation difficult, stressing that it wanted to avoid violence. „If we do not integrate civilian settlements into military control, we could find ourselves in a situation similar to that along the Lebanese border,” the statement continued. „The right-wing government must show our enemies that Israel’s intention is to stay.”
„We will eventually reach Daraa, Quneitra and Abedin,” they added.
In May, ten HaBashan members were detained after crossing the Israeli-Syrian border; the IDF stressed at the time that the movement’s actions endanger both Israeli soldiers and civilians. In April, forty members were detained after successfully crossing several hundred meters into Syrian territory, an activity that Israeli police described as „prohibited and dangerous.”.
Analysis
1. What did the activist group claim?
The group claims that their action is not a provocation, but a defensive response to the „erosion of security” in the Golan Heights. They claim that they were „passive” and that Israeli soldiers used excessive force against them. The movement’s ideology is that a military presence alone is not enough to maintain control; they believe that the area can only be „secured” in the long term with a permanent civilian presence (settlers).
2. What is the ultimate goal of the group?
The goal is clear: to force territorial expansion and annexation. They are not satisfied with protecting the border, but are specifically planning to establish Israeli civilian settlements on sovereign Syrian territory (e.g. towards the cities of Quneitra and Daraa). This is practically a „facts on the ground” strategy, with which they want to put the government in a ready position.
3. What danger do these actions pose?
These actions are extremely dangerous on several levels:
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Diplomatic danger: A border violation is a serious international legal incident that could give Syria or its allied forces (e.g. Iran, Hezbollah) a pretext for a military response.
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Security risk: Activists are exposed to border fighting, forcing the Israeli army (IDF) to carry out rescue operations that put the lives of soldiers at risk.
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Regional stability: The „far-right settler” narrative – which compares the situation to the Lebanese border – carries the risk of escalating the conflict.
4. Why did the IDF detain them?
For the IDF, these people are not patriots, but troublemakers. Although the settler movement often refers to „national interests,” the army’s duty is to respect the international border and conduct regulated military operations. If civilians „arbitrarily” commit border violations, they completely overturn the IDF’s command structure and border security protocol. The IDF is taking action against them because it cannot allow civilian movements to control the country’s foreign and security policy, and it considers it inevitable to suppress provocations to prevent the escalation of another front on the Syrian border.
There are striking similarities between the action of the „HaBashan Pioneers” and the processes experienced in the West Bank. strategic patterns Although the legal status of the Syrian border (Golan Heights) and the West Bank are different, the tools and objectives of the activist groups essentially reflect the same ideology.
Below I will compare the events in the two regions:
1. The „Facts on the ground” doctrine
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In the West Bank: For decades, radical settler groups have established „illegal outposts” without government permission, often on privately owned Palestinian land, with the goal of de facto annexation of the occupied territories, in the hope that the Israeli state will legalize the settlements later.
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On the Syrian border: HaBashan is copying this exact pattern. When they try to cross to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, they are not just „hiking,” they are attempting to take over the area. The logic is the same: if there are enough people out there, the state will be forced to send troops to protect them, and so the border will gradually be pushed back.
2. The security excuse and the „erosion” narrative
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In the West Bank: Settlers often cite „security imperatives.” They claim that since the Palestinian population is „hostile,” an Israeli civilian presence is the only way to protect them. This narrative legitimizes the isolation of Palestinian villages and the disruption of territorial continuity.
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On the Syrian border: HaBashan uses exactly the same language in its statements: „Israeli control is eroding due to the presence of ”Syrian terrorists and the hostile population.„ So they too are using the security vacuum as an excuse to put the military buffer zone under civilian control.
3. Exploiting government inertia
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In the West Bank: Some elements of the settler movement openly challenge the authority of the army (IDF) and the police when they attempt to remove an illegal outpost. They often label the soldiers as „traitors” if they uphold the law and international law against the will of the settlers.
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On the Syrian border: HaBashan members have a similar attitude towards the IDF: although they are in principle protected by the army, they accuse the soldiers of „serious violence” when they prevent illegal border crossings. This is a dangerous precedent: Civil movements elevate themselves above the military chain of command, dictating where the border should be drawn and what security operations the state should conduct.
4. Radicalization and escalation of goals
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Parallel: Settler violence and outposts in the West Bank have increased steadily in recent years, especially under the current right-wing government. This radicalization has led to friction between settlers and Palestinians becoming commonplace.
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Escalation: HaBashan's openly declared goal ("we will reach Daraa, Quneitra and Abedin") shows that the movement is not satisfied with the status quo. This territorial ambition almost a mirror image of the vision of a „Greater Israel” (Eretz Yisrael) in the West Bank, which disregards international borders and the sovereignty of surrounding peoples.
Summary: The Danger of Pattern
The parallels show that in Israel, the extremist settler ideology, which wants to use military force not for state but for ideological purposes.
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In the West Bank This process has been going on for decades and has now led to a wave of violence that has horrified international public opinion.
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On the Syrian border this same process is still in its initial phase.
If the Israeli state does not take decisive action against groups like HaBashan, a „"West Bank scenario"” could develop, where border security buffer zones become a constant source of conflict, and where the decisions of civil activists determine Israel's foreign policy, endangering already fragile regional stability.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
