Syrian Druze Want to Join Israel

Leaders of the Druze community in the Jabal al-Sheikh region of Syria have proposed annexation to the Israel-controlled Golan Heights and stated their intention to oppose the jihadist forces which have defeated the Assad regime.

The Druze follow a tradition of allegiance to the government of the country in which they live – many Druze who live in Israel serve in the Israel Defence Forces. But this tradition divided them as a people when the Six-Day War redrew the boundary between Israel and Syria.

Now the Druze in Syria fear for the safety of their communities because of the brutal attacks by Islamists on minorities like Christians, Yazidis and the Druze during nearly 14 years of civil war in Syria. Many atrocities were carried out during those years and the international community did nothing to help.

One leader, filmed at a community meeting, spoke on behalf of several villages in the region saying:

“We are with those who preserve our dignity … we ask to be annexed to the Golan …
The fate of Hader is the fate of the surrounding villages,
we want to ask to join our kin in the Golan,
to be free from injustice and oppression.”

Many present at the meeting shouted: “We agree, we agree!”

In this YouTube video, Rebecca Bar Sef identifies some of the six villages involved and explains much of the background to this request by the Druze, including the fact that the ‘demilitarised’ zone between Israel and Syria was actually occupied by Syrian soldiers.