A delegation of Syrian Druze made a rare pilgrimage to Israel over the weekend, visiting a revered shrine amid Israel’s strategic efforts to strengthen ties with this minority group. This visit comes in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s ousting and Israel’s new tactical moves in the region. Both Israel and Syria are home to sizable Druze communities, who belong to an Arabic-speaking religious sect pervading the Levant. Historically, ongoing hostilities between the two nations have impeded Syrian Druze from accessing sacred sites within Israel.
Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, a prominent Druze leader in Israel, organized the two-day visit, which saw approximately 100 individuals journey from Syrian territory to Israel. They visited the Tomb of Prophet Shuaib in northern Galilee, a place of profound religious significance for the Druze. “After being cut off for decades, to see our people arriving in our country — it’s a moment of great joy,” expressed Mr. Tarif, who has mostly interacted with these visitors through phone calls due to the arduous cross-border travel conditions.
Many Druze in Israel possess Israeli passports and serve in the national military, enjoying a status of loyal “brothers in arms.” Conversely, those residing in the Golan Heights—a region Israel captured during the 1967 Middle East conflict—often hold Syrian identification and Israeli residency permits rather than full citizenship. Following the collapse of Assad’s regime in early December, Israel has intensified airstrikes on Syrian targets, citing the necessity to inhibit hostile forces from massing at its borders. However, these measures have incited concerns among Syrians of a prolonged Israeli occupation.
Simultaneously, Israel is reaching out to the Syrian Druze, many of whom reside in southern Syria, as potential allies. Israeli officials have indicated that they might intervene militarily if Druze communities face threats from the new Syrian government forces. “Israel is prepared to defend, if needed, the Druze population in Syria from the forces of the new regime,” asserted David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, this past week. Nevertheless, major Syrian Druze militias have declined these overtures.
Amidst these developments, Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced plans to permit some Syrian Druze to work in the Golan Heights. The Druze sect diverged from Islam about a millennium ago, eventually evolving into a distinct religion. Its followers, scattered throughout Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and northern Israel, have frequently found themselves on opposing sides of the region’s turbulent conflicts.
Since Assad’s downfall, Israeli troops have advanced into Syrian territory, establishing a 155-square-mile buffer zone and continuing their bombardment of multiple targets within the country. Israeli officials have condemned the new Islamist-led government in Damascus and affirmed the persistence of their forces in Syrian domains. Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara, has called on the global community to pressure Israel into withdrawal and has assured that his governance poses no threat to regional stability or to religious minorities, such as the Druze, emphasizing the Syrian populace’s war-weariness.
This evolving dynamic between Israel and the Druze sect amidst broader geopolitical shifts will likely shape future regional alliances. The complexities of these interactions underscore the intertwining of international relations, minority politics, and ongoing conflict in the Middle East—a subject of close global scrutiny.
Original Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/world/middleeast/syria-druse-visit-israel.html
Category : Druse (Sect),International Relations,War and Armed Conflicts,Politics and Government,Minorities,al-Shara, Ahmed (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani) (1982- ),Golan Heights,Israel,Syria
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Publish Date: 2025-03-15 17:31:00
