Two Druze sentenced for informing Syria
(JTA) — Israel convicted two Druze citizens of relaying military information to Syria.
A Nazareth court sentenced Yusuf Shams to four years in prison and his relative Ata Farhat to three years, the Ha’aretz daily reported Friday.
The men, who exported apples from the Golan Heights to Syria, provided Syrian officials with information about Israeli military maneuvers on the strategic plateau, Ha’aretz reported.
Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981. A truce has prevailed since 1974.
The Golan’s indigenous population is Druze Arab; some have obtained Israeli citizenship but most remain Syrian nationals.
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