The Settlers Who Sneak Into Syria: A Fringe Movement With Government Friends

In the dead of night, Israeli soldiers preparing to strike a group of men crossing the Syrian border suddenly noticed the long curls dangling from their temples. They held their fire. These were not jihadists. They were religious Jews, part of a fringe settler group that has been slipping into Syria with alarming regularity, hoping to plant the seeds of a new Jewish outpost on land that once belonged to the biblical kingdom of Bashan.

The episode, first reported by Israel's public broadcaster and confirmed to the Associated Press, has shone a light on a movement that, while dismissed by most Israelis as a handful of zealots, enjoys quiet backing from powerful figures in Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government. It is a story that should unsettle anyone who believes in the sanctity of borders and the rule of law.

Who Are the Pioneers of Bashan?

The most prominent group behind these incursions calls itself the Pioneers of Bashan. Formed early last year, its members are right-wing activists who claim a historical and biblical right to parts of modern-day Syria. They take their name from the fertile region of Bashan, which in Scripture was conquered by the Israelites under Moses from the mythical King Og. Today, they have their sights set on the southwestern Syrian provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Sweida.

Part of this area, including the summit of Mount Hermon, lies within a buffer zone Israel declared in December 2024, shortly after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. The group argues that their presence will help defend the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed. The international community, including Britain, has never recognised that annexation.

What Are They Trying to Do?

The group's immediate aim is to establish a Jewish outpost inside Syria, next to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. An outpost is a rustic foothold, a toehold in territory settlers hope will one day be legalised by the state. It is the same tactic that gave birth to the West Bank settlements, which human rights groups say are a major driver of violence and displacement.

So far, their incursions have been brief. The Israeli military has removed them before they could build anything. Videos on the group's social media accounts show soldiers dragging away religious teenagers, zip-tying their hands. But the activists keep coming. They have attempted to cross every few days in recent weeks.

Does the Israeli Government Support Them?

Officially, the military says it takes a firm hand. It condemns the group for diverting troops from real operations and compromising security. It says it detains border-crossers and hands them over to police, expecting them to be prosecuted. Yet Israel's Channel 12 reported last week that no indictments have been filed.

The border-crossers themselves boast of cozy relationships with members of Netanyahu's cabinet. Several ministers have expressed support for their cause. The group's social media accounts document meetings with at least two cabinet ministers: Amihai Eliyahu and Shlomo Karhi. One leader, Amos Azaria, a computer science professor at Ariel University in the West Bank, put it bluntly: 'We have support from friends in the government and many members of the Knesset.'

What Does This Mean for the Region?

Syrian officials have not commented publicly on the settler incursions, but the government in Damascus has condemned Israel's occupation of southern Syria and calls for international intervention. Israeli troops have already carried out raids beyond the buffer zone, sometimes clashing with local residents who try to block their roads.

There is also a parallel movement in southern Lebanon, where a group called Uri Tzafon, or 'Awaken, O North,' has staged incursions. Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri has warned against dismissing them. He pointed out that the movement to settle the West Bank began with a small, embattled band of religious activists called Gush Emunim. 'In its early days,' he wrote, 'it was a small group that faced some obstacles and difficulties.'

History has a way of repeating itself. The question is whether Britain and the international community will watch this time, or act before the fringe becomes the mainstream.