As someone with extensive travel experience in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, it is impossible to avoid talks of politics while traveling in the region. However, unlike the "big" conflict further south in the region, a different conflict takes place on the northeastern edge of the land controlled by the State of Israel.
Situated on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights is the sort of destination that defies all stereotypes of the Middle East. Weather here is cool, even in the summer. The tallest mountains are capped with snow all year round. Ski resorts are among the most common tourist attraction. The region is famed for its cultivation of apples and production of honey. You'd be forgiven for mistaking this area for Kyrzgystan or southern Germany instead of the Middle East.
But perhaps the most unusual aspect of the Golan is the culture of the locals. While most of the territory is populated with Israeli Jews, four villages - Majdal Shams, Buq'ata, Mas'ada, and Ain Qinniye - house Druze populations that proudly cling onto their Syrian heritage.
