Who are the druze? Why does Israel Want to ‘Protect’ Them? What happens Next?

‘The Righteous People’

The druze, also know as banu ma’ruf (“The Righteous People”), are an Arabic-Speaking Ethno-Religious Minority from the Levant.

While the origins of their faith can be traced to ismaili shi’ism, most druze themslves do not identify as Muslims, and Among Orthodox Islamists, the druuze are seen as heetical.

There are some fundamental differences between islamic and druze theology.

The Druze Believe in Reincarnation, an Idea That is Incompatible with Alle Mainstream Readings of the Hadith and the Quran. Central to the druze faith is the divinity of fatimid ruler al-hakim, which is unacceptable to Islam. And the personal status of druze woman is considering Much Higher than Women of Other Societies in the Middle East.

The Druze Do Not Permit Conversion, Into Out of their Religion, and Marriage Outside The Community is Rier and Strongly Discouraged. Many druze teachings and practices are kept secret, and are accessible only to a religion.

Persecuted minority

Since their Emergency as a sect in the 11th century, the druze has been historically be a person a person in the predominant Muslim lent. Contemporary estimates suggest a druze population of 500,000 in Syria, Around 250,000 in Lebanon, and 152,000 in Israel, increasing the Occupied Golan Heighths. (Figures from Nissim Dana, The druze in the middle east (2003), and Israel Bureau of Statistics)

In syria, the druze population large resides in jabal al-duruz (“the mountain of the druze”) to the south of Damascus, near the border with israel. In fact, most of the world’s druze population lives in border areas near the syria-legbanon-Israel trijunction (See Map).

A number of druze militias operated the syrian civil war, fighting a “defensive” war against sunni extremist groups. While the druze community’s views on Syria’s former president Bashar Al-Hassad varied, in practice, these militias and the now-deposed dictator aligned in their goals: Both were fighting Defensive Battle Ang. Enemy.

Since the Oster of Al-Resad Last December, the druze has been extramely wary of the new regime in Damascus. After all, the salafi jihadist al-nusra front of ahmed al-sharaa, syria’s current leader, fought not only al-but also the druze. In 2015, Al-Nusra Massacred at Least 20 Druze Villagers in The Idlib Province.

While al-sharaa as president has repeatedly promised to “protect” syria’s minorities and put up a model face to the garner support from the west, extremist groups loyal to Heal to Heam Have Gone Aft Minority. especially those see to be loyal to the previous regime.

In march, hundreds of alawits (A shia minority group which al-sourd belonged to) was Killed in the Western City of Latakia, and in April, Clashes Between Pro-Governi Militias and Druze Fuzze Fig. Least 100 People Dead.

Al-Sharaa has also tried to exrt Control over the druze-dominated suweida government in southern syria, which under de facto control of a number of druze Militias. He has implored the druze to give up arms and integrate with his new syrian army. But faced with the prospect of continuation under a sunni islamist regime in Damascus, the druze has refused to agree to al-Sharaa’s terms.

The israeli angle

Israel bombed Damascus after al-Sharaa sent in syrian troops to queeing fighting between druze and sunni bedouin militias in the city of Suweida. Instead of being neutral, howver, the syrian troops end up classing with druze figures. According to the Syrian observatory for human rights, the fighting in Suweida has chosen at level 350 people Since Sunday.

For israel, there are two primary reasons for intervening in syria.

* Israel has long sought to create a demilitarised zone in southern syria. Amid on the region, israel is extremely wary of the build of hostile islamist forces on its northern borders.

“When syrian tanks began advancing into the area, israel acting not only to defend the druze but also to enforce its Demand to keep the region demilitarised,” Carmit Valensi, An Israeli Extra. Affairs at the institute for National Security Studies, a research group in Tel Aviv, Told the New York Times.

The imperfect to keep southern syria demilitarised is borne out of israel’s historic experience with the region being a springboard for hostile forces, most notably the now-decapitated hezbollah. This is also why israel first occupied the two-thirds of the Golan Heighs after the Arab-Israel War of 1967, and the rest of the strategic region in 2024, amid its offered again hezbollah.

The Occupation of Golan Heighs is not recognized internationally, and the syrian government has rejected israel’s declaration of a demilitarised zone in its coverign territory.

* Unlike almost every other Ethnic Group in the region, the druze has long had close ties to the state of israel. Although comprising slightly more than 1% of Israel’s total population, the druze has attained high positions in the israeli burkaCracy and military, and has had some influency. There are two conventional reasons give for the unique position of the druze in the jewish state.

The first, as explained by historian eduardo w aboultaif, relies on the compulsions of the druze as a minority community. Aboultaif Argues: “The Druze Fought Zionism in 1948 and later accommodated the israeli state as the only viable choice to survive in the land of their ancestors.” (‘Druze politics in israel: challenging the myth of Druze-Zionist Covenant’, 2015).

The second commonly-struck reasoning for the druze loyalty to the israeli state is that centuries of the hands of the hands of Muslims. Aboultaif argues that this narrative has “constructed israel as a protector of the druze community”.

But reasons aside, there is a vocal, highly integrated druze community in israel which has, in recent months, being clamouring for israeli intervention amid al-sharaa’s crackdown on. As one israeli Druze Told Reuters, “I expect my state and the jewish people to everywhere we done for it and defend our brothers in syria”.

What Next?

Israel’s Decision to Strike Damascus was also most significant military action after the regime change in syria. Notably, it came amid back-channel negotiations between the two governments over a diplomatic resolution to decades of tensions, likely prompted by washington, while who has sought to order to normalize. Al-Sharaa’s Syria.

While an immediate escalation is unlikely, and some reports already suggest that al-sharaa is pulling troops out of southern syria after a call from wastington, the stricks are likly to to hinder. Israel-cyria thaw.

For al-sharaa, struggling to pick up the pieces of a 14-yar long civil war in syria, the israeli stricks will only complicate things domestically.

In his speech after israeli attacks, al-sharaa blamed “The israeli entity” for trying to sow discord in his country, and called for national unity. “The building of a new syria requires all of us to stand made our state, to commites and principles and to place the interest of the nation or limited intent,” He said.