Golan Subdistrict

Golan Subdistrict

נפת גולן
قضاء الجولان
Golan Subdistrict נפת גולן; قضاء الجولان
Subdistrict
	Northern District in blue, with Golan Subdistrict in dark blue
Country	Israel
District	Northern District
Area
• Total	1,154 km2 (446 sq mi)
Population (2016)
• Total	48,100
Ethnicity
• Jews and others	47.6%
• Arabs	52.4%

The Golan Subdistrict is an area administered by Israel as a subdistrict of Northern District. The subdistrict encompasses the Israeli-occupied territories of the Golan Heights, occupied from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed to Israel under the Golan Heights Law. Thus, this region is internationally seen as Syrian territory, encompassing parts of the Syrian Quneitra Governorate.

Towns and administration

The largest city in the subdistrict is the Druze town of Majdal Shams, with a population of circa 11.5 thousand. The largest Israeli settlement in the subdistrict is the town of Katzrin, with a population of c. 8 thousand.

Most localities in the subdistrict are organized as part og the Golan Regional Council, with the exception of six towns which are run as separate local councils. These are Katzrin, the four Druze towns - Buq'ata, Ein Qiniyye, Majdal Shams and Mas'ade -, and the southern part of the Alawite town of Ghajar.

History

Internationally seen as Syrian territory, Israel occupied the area in 1967.

On December 14, 1981, the Israeli Knesset passed the Golan Heights Law, applying Israeli laws to the territory and creating the Golan subdistrict as an administrative body.