The “Pioneers of Bashan” (Halutzei HaBashan) — The Zionist Settlement Enterprise in Syria
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The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus has
paved the way for a Zionist military presence in southern Syria, and potentially across broader areas of the
country, building upon its prior occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights. Tel
Aviv has exploited the fragile security vacuum to entrench its presence in
Syria through continuous incursions and the establishment of military bases.
Furthermore, it is attempting to impose a new reality on the ground by creating
a demilitarized zone extending for tens—if not hundreds—of kilometers between
occupied Palestine and Syria.
December 8, 2024—the day the Assad regime
fell—marked a new turning point in the Middle East. It whetted the Zionist
entity’s appetite to annex the largest possible swath of Syrian territory,
creating a fertile environment for cross-border settlement projects.
Consequently, the Zionist movement “Halutzei HaBashan” (Pioneers of Bashan) has
repeatedly breached the Syrian border and encroached upon its territory under
the pretext of establishing a new settlement.
Barely a year had passed since the fall of
the Assad regime when settlement movements rushed to breach the Syrian border
to establish a new settlement named "Neve Bashan." On August 19,
2025, nine Zionist families, comprising 40 individuals, crossed into Syrian
territory to lay what they called the cornerstone of the "Neve
Bashan" settlement. The families—men, women, and children bearing
"Israeli" flags—arrived equipped with cement, water, and timber to
cast a concrete foundation for the outpost, claiming it was named after the
city of "Neve" in southern Syria.
The Movement's Name
The name
"Bashan" refers to a location in the Levant, specifically in Syria,
renowned for its fertility and strategic significance. Mentioned in the Torah,
the historical Bashan covered vast stretches of southern Syria and eastern
Jordan. The movement exploits the settlement's geographical proximity to the
occupied Golan Heights, using it as a springboard to expand its settlement
enterprise across the entire region to the greatest extent possible.
On the
very same day (August 19, 2025), the Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth
Ahronoth published footage showing the nine families participating in
laying the concrete foundation, heralding the construction of the first Zionist
settlement in Syria. The outlet interviewed the families and captured photos
and videos of them alleging that the territory is part of the "Land of
Israel," claiming that the former Syrian regime had "occupied"
it in 1973. This signifies that "Bashan" is not merely a name, but a
religious and political symbol designed to exploit Syria's security fragility,
seeking to redefine southern Syria under the guise of it being a historical and
biblical extension open to colonization
Since its
founding in April 2025, the movement's members—estimated in the dozens—have
repeatedly breached the Syrian border. Between August and December 2025, they
crossed in large numbers, often as entire families. In doing so, they exploited
the assistance of the "Israeli" military, or its willingness to turn
a blind eye to their settlement activities, to enter Syrian territory and lay
the foundation stones for their alleged settlement.
Leaders of the Movement
On
November 27, 2025, dozens of followers of the "Pioneers of Bashan"
movement arrived at the same site, attempting to establish or expand the
settlement. They were led by Professor Amos Azaria, one of the movement's most
prominent figures. Hebrew media quoted him as stating that the area has been
under "Israeli" control since the fall of ousted President Bashar
al-Assad's regime in December 2024.
Advocating
for Jewish settlement in Syria, Azaria claimed, "There is no reason why we
shouldn't have a settlement here. We must control the land, deep into the
territory. This is what will save us—the residents of the Golan and the entire
State of 'Israel'—from the massacre planned for us by Al-Jolani's forces, just
as they did to the Druze." He did not stop there, further alleging that
the area was historically conquered by the Prophet Moses. These remarks were
made during a large gathering of far-right activists holding a
cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new "Neve Bashan" outpost.
On
December 22, 2025, the leaders of the "Pioneers of Bashan" issued an
appeal to Benjamin Netanyahu's government to authorize the establishment of the
settlement. They argued that exactly 50 years ago, Shimon Peres allowed
settlers in Samaria (the West Bank) to remain in the area, despite it
contradicting his political stance at the time. "We expect the right-wing
government to follow suit," they stated.
Prior to
this, on November 29, 2025, the movement organized a conference in occupied
Jerusalem, coinciding with a group of settlers breaching the Syrian border and
remaining at the settlement site for several hours. The event, aimed at
advocating for colonization in the Syrian Bashan, drew far-right figures,
including former ruling Likud party Knesset member Moshe Feiglin, alongside
various rabbis and other extremist personalities, according to a report
published that same day by the Hebrew news website Walla.
The
Zionist conference affirmed that the settlers of the "Pioneers of
Bashan" have been actively working toward Jewish settlement in the Bashan
region since mid-2025. "A window of opportunity has opened, and we must
settle before it is too late," read a statement issued by the conference.
It further added, "Without public support, this will not succeed, and that
is why we need you.
The
"Pioneers of Bashan" enjoy strong, direct backing from "Uri
Tzafon" (Awake, North), a far-right movement striving to establish Jewish
settlements in Lebanon. The official website of "Uri Tzafon" has
repeatedly broadcasted its endorsement and blessing of the "Pioneers of
Bashan" settlers' incursions across the Syrian border. Moreover, it
emphasized the absolute need to capitalize on the opportune moment in
Syria—facilitated by the "Israeli" military presence—to construct
Jewish settlements within Syrian territory.
The Movement's Activities
Tellingly,
the gathering of dozens of Zionists in that patch of Syrian territory occurred
under the watchful eyes of the "Israeli" army. Hebrew media observed
that the military merely warned them and briefly detained a few for
interrogation before immediately releasing them. This scenario played out in
parallel to the actions of settlers attempting to establish bases for Zionist
settlements in Lebanon.
Among the
banners raised by the Zionist demonstrators during their settlement attempt
were: "This place belongs to our fathers," "Here is Bashan, the
land of our ancestors," "Bashan... to establish a Jewish settlement
here," and "Bashan is ours forever." These signs were broadcast
by the Hebrew channel i24NEWS in an October 15, 2025, report. The outlet
confirmed that organizers sought to remain in the area for as long as possible
with their children during each visit. It also noted that while the initiative
has been executed without external support thus far, there is widespread
optimism about securing foreign funding to construct the settlement in the
future.
The War on Gaza
In an
effort to galvanize Zionist resolve among the families of "Israeli"
soldiers killed in the wars on Gaza and Lebanon, and capitalizing on the
ongoing situation in the Strip, the family of Yehuda Dror Yahalom—a soldier
killed in Lebanon—laid a wreath at the newly cast concrete foundation of the
settlement. Participating in the outpost's founding ceremony, the family
identifies as part of the "Pioneers of Bashan" movement. According to
the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, they argued that building the settlement
serves to assist the Druze in Syria, claiming that "Tel Aviv" cannot
extend such help without establishing Jewish settlements in Bashan. They
further alleged that colonization safeguards Zionist national security, drawing
parallels to the construction of West Bank settlements half a century ago.
As is
customary in Zionist strategy, the "Pioneers of Bashan" movement
employs religious heritage to lend ideological legitimacy to its alleged
settlement project in Syria. Adopting an extremist approach, the group views
the Golan as a gateway for Zionist expansion southward and eastward into Syrian
territory, under the pretext that building settlements is an integral part of
"Israeli" national security. Notably, it cannot be overlooked that
the Zionist army itself dubbed its operations in Syria "Arrow of Bashan."
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