JEWS, DRUZE
Today the Golan Heights are still sparsely settled but are home to an estimated 30,000 Jewish residents who live in more than 30 settlements, along with about 23,000 Druze.
The Druze, whose presence predates the Israeli occupation, are an Arab ethno-religious minority who also live in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel as well as Syria and the occupied Golan.
Many have not accepted Israeli nationality, and still identify as Syrian.
The Golan is also home to multiple Israeli military bases, and UNDOF positions including atop Mount Hermon.
TRUMP HEIGHTS
In 2019, during his first term in office, then-US president Donald Trump formally recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan, making the United States the only country to do so.
The move prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in June of 2019 to announce the creation of a new settlement, Trump Heights, named after the US leader.
