Summary:

The situation in the Golan Heights has experienced the deep impact of the Syrian civil war and foreign intervention. The traditional status quo in the area was characterized by a high respect of the UN resolutions and ceasefire agreements between Israel and Syria. The armies of both countries were separated by a UN peacekeeping force (UNDOF) and the clashes between them took place in Lebanon, a country in which both states found an important strategic depth.

The impact of the Syrian civil war implied that the Golan Heights became an area of anarchy in which the presence of several armed groups helped to increase the level of tension. This area fell under the control of the Russian Army and the Damascus regime in 2018, opening a new phase in the territorial dispute between Syria and Israel. At the same time, many international actors attach an enormous importance to this region and the negotiation of its future. Moreover, nowadays the Golan Heights provide both Israel and Hezbollah with more strategic depth, increasing the risk of confrontation between them in this region, creating a major threat for UNDOF. The objective of this paper is to assess the interests of the different actors involved in the area and their impact on the negotiation of a peace agreement. And there would be an analysis of the different possible scenarios in the region.