A small piece of land in the state of Israel 1,158 sq. km. the Golan Heights is nevertheless fruitful and productive. The Golan wines have introduced the public to excellent wines, gaining trophies and gold medals. The Golan beef cattle have educated Israelis to insist on a good steak. The Golan Mineral waters opened the Israeli market to quality drinking water. The Golan apples and cherries are the best you can buy in the market. Many of the berries on the shelves in Israel are grown only on the Golan.
More than 3 million visitors come to the Golan each year to enjoy the ski resort on Mt. Hermon, the thermal springs at Hamat gader, the wineries, the pick-your-own-fruit orchards and the beaches of Lake Kinneret. Israelis love to spend their vacations on the Golan, which offers hiking in the deep canyons, mountain biking, 4X4 trails and other challenging sports.
It all started in the summer of 1967, when the first pioneers came to settle the Golan Heights. Today, the 21,000 Israelis living in 32 rural communities and the town of Qatzrin have created a new Zionist model. The Golan community farmers and urbanites, religious and secular Jews, Israeli born and new immigrants, along with the 18,000 Druze have proven that the frontier can lead Israel into the 21st century.
The vision of sustainable development is being realized in every possible way: protecting the Golan biodiversity, promoting the use of integrated Pest Management (IPM), producing green energy (wind, solar and bio gas from organic waste), advancing eco-tourism, and supporting the Golan Research Institute for basic and applied research.
In short the Golan offers a quality of life comparable to only a few places in Israel.
The Golan gives Israel a natural source of plentiful, high-quality water
The Golan watershed stretches along the borderline from Mt. Hermon (7,297 ft.) to Mt. Peres (3,048 ft.). In 1964, the Syrians tried to build a diversionary canal that would cut off all water naturally running down from the Golan to the Galilee. This Syrian act of aggression led to numerous clashes as the UN failed to stop it. Today, due to global warming, Israel faces a grave water shortage, and the problem of fresh drinking water has become more severe than ever.
Israel's most significant source of water is the Sea of Galilee Lake Kinneret. Water is channeled through the National Water Carrier to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Negev.
The Jordan River is the main source of Lake Kinneret, and it is controlled entirely by the Golan Heights.
The river is fed by the three main sources: Hatzbani River, which flows from Lebanon; Banias River, which originates in springs on the Golan; Dan River, which begins near the pre-1967 border.
The many Golan streams that flow downhill naturally supply an additional yet vital amount of water to the Jordan River and Lake Kinneret. |
