ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi visited the tomb of the Druze Sheik Amin Tarif in the town of Joulis in northern Israel on Friday.  

Druze spiritual leader Sheik Mu'afak Tarif met with Kohavi during the visit, which was held in honor of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Kohavi later met with Bedouin leaders in the nearby regional municipality of Al-Batuf. Kohavi was accompanied by Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Allian, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and himself a member of the Druze community. The meetings were also joined by IDF soldiers and commanders from the Druze and Bedouin communities, and dealt with the integration of minority communities into the IDF and with ways to encourage meaningful service and to instil values of national service and purpose.
Kohavi said at the meetings that "the IDF is a unique place. Nowhere else is there a combination of professionalism, values, and patriotism. We serve in an organization that has meaning and an important mission for the State of Israel. He added that "we will continue to fight shoulder to shoulder - Bedouin, Druze, and all the other communities of this land."Sheik Tarif said emotionally thanked Kohavi, saying that "in your previous visit we raised a number of problems that needed to be treated. You became personally involved and we can see the progress. We are aware of the importance of serving in the IDF and are happy for the opportunity to do so."