Northern Border Activists Warn Iran Deal Could Lead to Withdrawal

Activists from the Halutzei HaBashan movement demonstrated near the security fence on the old Syrian border Sunday morning, warning that the reported U.S.-Iran agreement could lead to a dangerous erosion of Israel’s control in the north.

The protest followed the White House announcement of a new agreement with Tehran, which activists say could restrict Israel’s freedom to act against terrorist threats across several fronts.

The demonstrators accused the government of allowing diplomatic pressure to limit IDF operations while hostile forces remain active near Israel’s borders.

“Restricting the IDF’s ability to fight terror, which still exists and is still active in the field, is the beginning of a slippery slope,” the movement said. “It could eventually lead to a full territorial withdrawal.”

Halutzei HaBashan called on ministers who present themselves as representatives of the right to oppose the diplomatic pressure and approve immediate steps toward Jewish settlement beyond Israel’s current border lines.

The protest also came days after a statement by Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who recently visited the White House under the Trump administration, calling on Israel to fully withdraw from Mount Hermon.

The movement said Julani’s statement shows that hostile actors in the region are interpreting the agreement as a sign of Israeli weakness.

“This is a clear raising of the head,” the activists said. “The enemy identifies weakness on Israel’s part and uses American pressure to try to create new facts on the ground.”

According to Halutzei HaBashan, the only effective response is for Israel to establish its own facts in the field. The movement is demanding that the cabinet approve Jewish settlement in the Bashan region and in Lebanon, arguing that this would send a clear message to both allies and enemies that Israel has no intention of retreating.

“Now, when Israel is being pressured to stop fighting terror and thereby lose its hold on the territory, the cabinet must change direction,” the movement said. “The proper answer to diplomatic pressure is immediate approval for settlement in the Bashan and Lebanon. This is the only way to make clear to everyone: we are here to stay.”