volunteer for combat units is greater than
that of Jewish youth. The silence of the
military cemeteries in Druze villages
shouts the oath of loyalty they have sworn,
the pact of blood that this wonderful group
has made with the Jewish people in its
resurrected homeland. And they are the
brothers, cousins and in-laws of the Druze
in Syria.
“The Druze in Israel are deeply anxious
about the danger that threatens their
brothers in Syria if Islamic State conquers
the southern part of the country. They know
for certain that the lot of the Druze will echo
the lot of the Yazidi in Iraq; the men will be
slaughtered and the women sold in the
marketplace as slaves. The Druze in Israel
fear that the world will view the suffering of
their brothers with equanimity and will not
act decisively and rapidly, the way it failed to
do when ISIS came close to totally destroying
the Yazidi on Mount Sinjar in Iraq. The
reality of the past year makes every scenario
– even the most horrendous ones imaginable
– a real possibility.
“Israel must take every step necessary to
prove to the Druze that it stands faithful
to them no less than it is to Jews, in Israel
and everywhere else. This is a moral stand
with civilian, political and security
implications.”
From: www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/
Article.aspx/17095#.VY-7t_mqqkp
So, about the Druze in Israel: today they
number about 120 000 of the more than
1.5 million living there as well as in
Lebanon and Syria. A minority in the
Middle East, they are nonetheless an
ancient and unique ethno-religious
minority, brave in battle, a fiercely loyal
and cohesive group, and whose beliefs
predate even those of Islam. On a per
capita basis, as noted by Kedar, they boast
the highest rate of induction into the
military of any sector of Israel’s society,
and serve in all branches of the IDF. That is
because most of them consider enlistment
in the IDF as more than just an obligation
BUT, BECAUSE THEIR LOYALTY TO ISRAEL IS
INGRAINED IN THEIR BELIEF SYSTEM, ISRAEL HAS AN
OBLIGATION TO HELP THOSE DRUZE IN SOUTHERN
SYRIA WHO ARE WITHIN REACH OF THE IDF.
and/or a necessary expression of their
national loyalty. They see it as an
indispensable precondition for their
advancement and integration into the
country’s civil society.
Druze in the Middle East have always
expressed unconditional loyalty to their
land and concomitantly to their respective
states. The Druze in Israel have deep roots
in their land, and have never fled their
homes for “greener” or other pastures.
Because one of their central foundations of
belief is connection to the land, they
therefore see no difference in how they
perceive and behave in and towards Israel,
from the behaviour and attitudes of their
brethren in Syria and Lebanon. They also
have a clearly recognised standing within
Israel society, which is of great significance
to them and their future.
Druze in the Golan mostly identify with
Syria, where their families live, and they
often visit family and go to school there. But
as permanent residents of Israel, they have
access to Israeli schools, enjoy municipal
services, and are better off economically
than their families in Syria. They also have a
separate educational system, and their
religion, recognised by the Israeli
government, has its own court system.
Like other minority Arab groups in
Israel, Druze still face discrimination on
both personal and state levels. Many
Jewish employers are unwilling to hire
Druze workers because they are Arab; they
are not welcomed as residents in many
Jewish Israeli towns; and state funding for
their schools is less per pupil than it is for
Jewish schools.
But, because their loyalty to Israel is
ingrained in their belief system, Israel has
ISRAEL STANDS FIRM AGAINST ITS DETRACTORS
AND ENEMIES. IT HAS SURVIVED COUNTLESS WARS,
INTIFADAS, THREATS OF BOYCOTTS, DE-LEGITIMISATION
AND SANCTIONS, ABUSE AND INSULTS.
an obligation to help those Druze in
southern Syria who are within reach of the
IDF. Especially today, Israel needs all the
friends it can muster; and it needs to show
that its ideals of tikkun olam, of giving to
the world as much humanitarian aid and
assistance as it can, are real and not merely
lip service being paid for reasons of
political correctness. Again, in ѡ