Buq'ata

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Buq'ata (Arabic: بقعاثا, romanized: Buqʿāthā; Hebrew: בוקעאתא) is a town in southwestern Syria, in the Quneitra Governorate, Golan Heights. It has been under Israeli occupation since 1967 and is administered by Israel as a local council. The town has a predominantly Druze population. Buq'ata covers an area of 7,000 dunams (7 km2) between two mountains in the Golan Heights, Mount Hermonit and Mount Varda. Located 1,070 metres above sea level, it had a population of 6,982 in 2024. Granted the right to obtain Israeli citizenship following the passage of the Golan Heights Law, as of 2012 most of the residents, like the majority of Druze in the Golan Heights, had adopted permanent residency but refused Israeli citizenship and instead retained Syrian citizenship. Citizenship applications increased sharply following the collapse of Syria's Assad regime; Israel's Ministry of the Interior indicated that about 41% of Buq'ata's residents had become Israeli citizens by March 2026. Buq'ata is one of the four remaining Syrian-Druze communities on the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights, the others being Majdal Shams, Ein Qiniyye and Mas'ade. Geologically and geographically a distinction is made between the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, the boundary being marked by the Sa'ar Stream; however, administratively they are usually grouped together. Buq'ata and Mas'ade are on the Golan side of the boundary, characterised by black volcanic rock (basalt), while Majdal Shams and Ein Qiniyye are on the Hermon side, thus sitting on limestone.